Safe and Sound
by Quicklove202
Summary: AU. Quinn Fabray volunteered to compete in the annual Hunger Games to protect someone she loves. Gale Hawthorne also volunteered to compete, but for what reason? Quinn/Gale.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This is just another little random thing my crazy brain cooked up and I thought I'd post it. It's AU, obviously. No Katniss or Peeta. Kind of just the Hunger Games with Quinn Fabray in Katniss' place and a few other glee characters tossed into the mix. (Although I changed some things so it's not just the book with the names changed). And since I love Gale so much, I thought I'd have him be Quinn's leading man. Anyways, read. enjoy. review!**

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><p>Today was Quinn Fabray's least favorite day of the year. Reaping day. But really, it was everyone's least favorite day. She was on her way to the reaping in the town square now, with her younger siblings, Frannie and Stevie, holding each one of her hands. She felt weird, being a dress, but oddly comfortable. She didn't really wear dresses aside from these 'special' occasions but wished she wore them more often. Mainly the reason she didn't was because she was always hunting. And hunting was not something to be done in a dress, she had tried that once and vowed to never do it again.<p>

She did not look like the type of girl who hunted, let alone know how to use a bow and arrow. She had what some called a 'pretty face', even though she herself didn't see it. She had green eyes and blonde hair, just like her mother. She didn't see anything special about that. But then again, people in the Seam mostly had dark hair and grey eyes. No matter, she still liked to take that to her advantage seeing as how nobody would ever suspect her as the type to sneak out into the woods to do some illegal hunting. Although when she was younger, she herself never would've imagined herself as a hunter.

Growing up, she had always been fond of the woods, just because it was so freeing and peaceful. She also like the fact that there was an abundance of animals to talk to and play with. She was the animal lover back then and couldn't ever imagine hunting them like her father did. But when he died in a mining accident, she had to take on a different mindset. She had to become the provider, because her mother sure as hell didn't step up to do it. Thankfully her father had already taught her how to use a bow and arrow before he died, even though she really didn't like using it to kill animals. But when you have your family to feed, you just have to push those thoughts away and get the job done. And so she did. Now, she could shoot an arrow directly into an animal's eye and not think twice about it.

Quinn found herself softly singing as they headed towards the square, where the reaping takes place. Her father liked to sing a lot and she remembered him having the best singing voice she had ever heard. Her mother always told her that she had gotten her singing voice from him, but she always dismissed it. She didn't think of herself as having a good voice, which was why she was surprised at herself for singing as they walked through town. She only ever sang to her siblings when they needed comforting, or when they asked. And that was always in the comforts of home, never out in public. And especially not on reaping day. She automatically stopped and continued walking in silence.

"Quinn!".

She looked up at the sound of her name being called to see Finn Hudson and his girlfriend, Rachel Berry standing at the corner near the square waiting for her, just as they did every reaping. They were her best friends, her only friends really. She had made friends with Finn first. After both their fathers had died in the same mining accident, they had met at the ceremony honoring those who had fallen. They were both eleven when it had happened and they have been friends ever since.

She had met Rachel last year when they had the same class together. Sure the girl could be a little annoying at times, but she had a good heart. Quinn had been the one to introduce her to Finn and they hit it off right away, even though Finn had confessed that he found Rachel annoying at times too while they went hunting together.

After befriending Finn, Quinn found out that he, like herself, was also a good hunter. So for years they went hunting together and it was nice, that is until Rachel insisted on tagging along. It wasn't that she didn't like Rachel. She did, for some odd reason, but it was just that Rachel was just so damn loud in the woods that she tended to scare off every animal in the vicinity. Quinn knew that on the days when Rachel tagged along that the game would be slim.

The three of them were extremely close, even though at times she felt like a third wheel. Quinn pushed the thought out of her mind when she finally approached them. She let go of Frannie and Stevie's hands to embrace Rachel and then Finn.

Rachel looked her up and down and smiled, "Quinn, looking lovelier than ever". Quinn could tell by her tone of voice that there was a hint of jealousy there, which had always been there, ever since they had become friends. Although she didn't understand why. Rachel was just as, if not more beautiful, than she herself was. "You too" she replied.

Rachel beamed before looking at Stevie and Frannie, "Hey, guys, don't you two look just dandy!".

They didn't say anything. They were both pretty shy in general, but on reaping day, they practically turned into mutes. It really didn't help that it was their first reaping. Rachel dismissed the fact that they ignored her and didn't dwell on it.

"We better get to the square, don't want to be late" Finn stated, taking Rachel's hand again and beckoning them all to head towards the square. Stevie and Frannie took her hands again as they started walking again. The five of them walked towards the square, with Rachel chattering on about something that happened in school. Although Quinn didn't want to hear it, she knew Rachel was just trying to get their minds off the reaping. She was always pretty chatty on a regular basis but it always got worse on reaping day.

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><p>Once they reached the square and signed in, they were all separated, with the exception of Quinn and Rachel, seeing as how they were the same age and sex. Out of the corner of her eye, Quinn watched as Finn headed towards where all the other sixteen year old boys stood. He was so tall that he stood out like a soar thumb. Quinn turned her attention to the front where the younger kids where. She spotted Frannie not to far away and then managed to find Stevie over where the boys where. She was only vaguely away that the reaping had started and it was only when Rachel lightly nudged her, where she snapped out of it. By now, Effie Trinket, District 12's escort, was on stage wishing every one a Happy Hunger Games. She said a few words, talking about how it was a pleasure to be here and yadda yadda yadda.<p>

It's finally time for the drawing. Quinn watches as Effie Trinket walks over to the glass ball with all the girl's names, "As always, ladies first!".

She paused for a moment before reaching in and started digging around for what felt like hours. She finally picked one. Quinn looked around at the girls around her. They had all stopped breathing, even Rachel. Quinn herself even found her holding her breath, not for her sake, but for Frannie and Rachel. If either one of them was chosen, she wasn't sure what she'd do. She finally got herself to exhale as she watched Effie Trinket walk back to the podium, a small slip of paper in her hands. That little piece of paper would change one girl's life or probably end it.

"This year's female tribute for District 12 will be… Francine Fabray!". Effie's gaze landed on Frannie due to the fact that the girl's around her had stepped back to give her room. There's nothing but silence and Quinn was pretty sure her heart had stopped beating. Frannie swallowed hard and took a few steps forward. Quinn didn't hesitate in following her, pushing past the girls who hadn't been smart enough to move out of her way.

"I volunteer!" she all but screamed. Frannie turned around and looked at her with horrified eyes, mouthing the word 'no'. Quinn nodded and tore her gaze away from her sister to look up at Effie, "I volunteer as tribute". There was no way in hell that her baby sister was going into that arena, not if she could help it.

Effie was no doubt surprised but she brushed it off, "Lovely!" she extended her hand, "Come on up, dearie".

Quinn started walking forward only to have Frannie run into her, screaming hysterically, trying to prevent her from walking forward. "Frannie, please" she croaked, trying to pull her sister's arms from around her and keep herself from breaking down too. Her sister's nails dug into her sides, holding onto her firmly, "I won't let you go!".

"Frannie, let go" Quinn said more firmly, the last thing she needed was the peacekeepers to come in and punish her for not letting go.

Then suddenly a strong force yanked Frannie from Quinn and for a moment Quinn thought it was a peacekeeper, but as she looked up, she saw that it was just Finn. Frannie was still crying hysterically over his shoulder, trying with all her power to free herself from Finn's grasp. With one last look and the nod of his head, Finn turned around to bring Frannie over to her mother.

Quinn turned around to face the podium to see Effie Trinket gushing with happiness, as if this was exactly the type of drama she had been waiting for. Quinn tried not to look disgusted as she made her way up the steps and toward the podium.

"Now what's your name, dearie?" she asked.

Quinn swallowed hard before speaking, "Quinn Fabray."

Effie beamed, "I take it that was your little sister just now". Quinn silently nodded, her gaze now on her mother who stood in the back with the rest of adults, Frannie's face buried in the crook of her neck.

Effie turned to the crowd, "Let's give a big round of applause to our newest tribute!".

She waited for applause but she never got it. Everyone stayed silent but then, slowly one person at a time raised their left hand and placed their three middle fingers to their lips and extended their hand out to Quinn. Before she knew it, the entire crowd had done it. She could only imagine how much the Capitol was hating this right now.

Effie cleared her throat uncomfortably, "And now for our male tribute!". As Effie walks over to the ball and swirls it around to mix up the paper, Quinn's mentally crossing her finger that neither Finn nor Stevie gets chosen, but most importantly Stevie because she wouldn't be able to handle going into the arena with her own baby brother.

"And our District 12 male tribute is…..Steven Fabray!".

This time a few gasps could be heard from the audience. Quinn's heart stopped for the second time in less than a few minutes. Her gaze immediately found her brother, whose face had lost what little color he had to begin with. Everyone around him backed away, to give him room to walk up to the podium, but he remained frozen.

This had to be a sick joke. What were the odds of both her siblings being chosen for the same games? Quinn now felt like she was going to cry. She couldn't volunteer for her brother. The only way to save him would be if some else volunteered for him. And she knew that would never happen, because nobody ever volunteered here in District 12. Ever.

"This certainly is a family affair this year, isn't it?" Effie said brightly before beckoning Stevie to come up. With a nudge from the boy standing next to him, Stevie regained the ability to move. But he hadn't taken more than two steps when someone yelled, "I volunteer".

Heads turned, including her own, and Quinn scanned the crowd of boys, specifically towards the back where the older boys were, since the voice had clearly been of someone who had already gone through puberty.

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to get a good luck at her brother's volunteer, which was a little difficult with the sun blaring down at her. But then she saw a figure walking down the empty aisle, the same path she had just walked moments ago. As he moved closer to the podium, she was able to clearly see who this boy was. Well, boy wasn't the correct term, seeing as how he looked more like a man. She automatically recognized him from school. He was two years older than she was, extremely tall, well built, and all around gorgeous. Something which all the girls back at school took notice of, especially Rachel, although she would never admit it because of Finn. But other than the few things she had heard about him through girl's gossip, she really didn't know anything him. But truthfully, she had only ever encountered him once before this and that was years ago…

"And what is your name?" Effie asked, snapping Quinn out of her thoughts. He was now on stage with them, on the other side of Effie.

"Gale Hawthorne" he replied, his voice deep, his expression hard.

"Well, well, well" Effie looked back between Gale and Quinn with a wide smile on her face, "Two volunteers for District 12. This has got to be a first. How exciting!".

She clapped her hands together enthusiastically before turning it over to the mayor. He stepped toward the podium and began to read the Treaty of Treason which was read every year.

At that point, Quinn had zoned out. She kept glancing over at Gale. Why did he do it? Why did _he_ volunteer for _her_ brother? Did they somehow know each other? She doubted it. Her little brother was pretty shy and rarely talked to anyone outside of his close circle of friends at school. Was it because he secretly wanted to be chosen? Did he _want_ to fight in the games? She didn't see him having any trouble at all in the games, but that was just preposterous. Why would anyone willingly want to fight in the games?

Once the anthem finished, Gale and Quinn were escorted by Peacekeepers inside the Justice Building. As soon as they got inside, they were ushered into two separate rooms where they would then be allowed to say goodbye to their family before they were taken to the Capitol.

Quinn anxiously awaited her family's arrival and when the door finally opened, her heart all but leapt out of her skin. Frannie and Stevie both ran to her, nearly knocking her backwards. They held onto her tightly, the two of them shaking just as she was. She felt her mother's arms wrap around her and she had to fight the urge to burst into tears. They stayed like that for awhile, in silence, but then Quinn remembered that they only had a short time together before she would be taken away. She let go of her siblings, even though they didn't, and began telling them all the things they needed to remember to do since she wasn't going to be there to do them for them. She even scolds her mother, hoping that it would knock some sense into her to finally do something and be there for them.

"Try to win, Quinn" Stevie murmured, his face still buried against her waist, "Try to win". Frannie nodded her head in agreement.

Quinn kissed both their heads quickly, "I will, promise".

The Peacekeeper opened the door, signaling that their time was up. They hug each other one last time, whispering _I love you _to each other before the Peacekeeper ordered them out and closed the door behind them. Quinn finally felt tears silently streaming down her cheeks.

The door opened again shortly after that and Quinn is surprised to see Rachel and Finn. She had thought that only family members were allowed. She didn't bother to dwell on that. As soon as she saw them, she practically jumped into both their arms, hugging them both tightly.

Rachel pulled away first and shakily reached into her pocket, "I have something for you". She pulls out something small and gold, "It's a pin. I thought you could wear it…for good luck…in the arena". Quinn could tell she was fighting back tears as she placed the small pin in her hand. Quinn looked down at the pin and realized it was of a Mockingjay.

She didn't waste time in pining it to her dress, "Thanks, Rachel". Rachel nodded.

Finn then turned Quinn around so that he faced her, "Look, you can do this. Just think of it as hunting. You're the best hunter I know".

Quinn suddenly felt sick, "Finn, I've never hunted humans before. It's different from animals".

"Not that different" he replied grimly. He shook his head of the thought, "Just make sure to get your hands on a bow and arrow at the Cornucopia".

"But there might not be one-".

Just then the Peacekeepers came into the room and Finn asked for more time but they refuse him. "Don't worry, Quinn. We'll look out for your family. Promise!" Rachel said quickly as the Peacekeepers ushered the two of them out of the door.

Everything after that is a blur to Quinn. She's taken, along with Gale, to the train station where people snap their pictures and ask stupid questions before they're allowed to board the train. And when they finally were allowed to board, the doors closed mercifully behind them and the train immediately took off.

Effie ushered the two of them into what she called the parlour room. It was grand and magnificent, everything clean and polished to the point where it doesn't even look real. There are tables filled with all kinds of fruits, pastries, even meats. The very sight of it should be making Quinn's mouth water, but it doesn't. She doesn't have the stomach to eat any of it anyways.

"You two just make yourselves comfortable" Effie said, beckoning to the sitting area in the corner, "I'll go find Haymitch. He's probably off drinking somewhere…". Effie disappeared without another word, leaving Quinn and Gale alone.

They sat in silence. Quinn fiddled with her hands uncomfortably. They wouldn't stop shaking. Maybe it was because she hadn't eaten all day, or maybe it was due to the fact that every second spent in this train was just another step closer to her impending death. She glanced over at Gale, whose face she couldn't read. His eyes were neither red nor puffy so it was obvious that he hadn't been crying when he said goodbye to his family. That is, if he had a family to say goodbye to. She pushed the thought out of her mind and tried to think of something else.

She knew she should thank him, no, she knew that she _had_ to thank him. After all, he had volunteered for her little brother. But as she looked over at him out of the corner of her eye, she felt all her courage diminish. _Why did he have to look so intimidating all the time? _She looked away from him and glanced out the window next to her. She thought back to the first time she had ever encountered him. She had been twelve at the time. It had been a year since her dad died and she was still adjusting to hunting on her own. One day, while tracking a wild turkey in the woods, it was something larger than what she usually went for but she was desperate, and she ended up twisting her ankle.

Even though it hurt to walk, she continued to hunt that turkey. It wasn't like she could go home empty handed. Unfortunately, she could only go after that turkey for so long before her ankle swelled up like a balloon, so she had to settle for something smaller, like squirrels. Shortly after that, as she hobbled through the woods towards home, she ended up running into him. Not literally though, thank goodness. He seemed surprised to see her there. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. She was naturally a shy person and especially when it came to boys. She watched as his gaze drifted down to her feet and he must've noticed that she was doing everything she could not to put weight on it. He then stepped towards her and she automatically stepped back, which wasn't a smart thing to do since she just ended up losing her balance and falling backwards. A small smile appeared on his face but he didn't say anything.

Much to her surprise, he ended up carrying her home that day. She immediately wanted to protest, but she couldn't pluck up the courage to say something, and by then, her ankle was throbbing so painfully that she had to fight back tears. When he brought her home, she had finally managed to perk up the courage to thank him only to have him disappear the moment he put her down. And then later that day, Stevie found a dead turkey, the same one she had been hunting, on their doorstep.

Quinn looked away from the window to look back at Gale. She was surprised to find that he was looking at her. Was he thinking back to their first meeting too? She smiled weakly at him. His gaze drifted down and she realized he was looking down at her hands, which were still noticeably shaking. She blushed sheepishly and tucked them under her legs.

"I wouldn't be so worried, Quinn" he said suddenly, causing her to look up at him in surprise, "You're going to go home," he stopped for a moment before looking straight into her eyes intensely, "I'll do everything in my power to make sure of that".

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><p><strong>AN: Do I continue? That kind of depends if I get reviews saying I should or not. =] So, review! Please!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Big thanks to those who reviewed, alerted the story, and favorited it! Who is excited that Glee is back on tuesday? I know I am! Oh and just a little note, I changed Gale's background in this story, just so you know. Don't be mad!**

**So, please, read. enjoy. review! Reviews = awesomeness!**

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><p>"<em>You're going to go home…I'll do everything in my power to make sure of that". <em>

Quinn blinked, "What?", she started to shake her head, "No. _You're_ the one who's going to go home". After all, he had much more of a chance winning the games than she did. Why would he say something like that? Why did he want to help her? None of this made any sense.

She pursed her lips together before asking, "Why would you…?" She didn't have time to get out the rest of her question since she heard the compartment doors slide open. Gale and Quinn both turned their attention away from each other to see Effie walking towards them, looking as though she had something to tell them. Something they may or may not like.

"Couldn't find Haymitch?" Gale guessed.

Effie tapped her foot against the floor, folded her arms across her chest, and shook her head, "It seems that the Capitol has deemed him unfit to be a mentor. Apparently he was escorted off the train before we took off". Quinn could tell by the tone of her voice that Effie had no previous knowledge of this and Quinn could also tell by her body language that she didn't appreciate being left out of the loop.

Gale stood up and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Then who's going to be our mentor?".

"That would be me".

Gale and Quinn both turned around to see a tall woman, in her mid 50's it looked, with short blonde hair and a smug expression on her face walking out of the compartment Effie had just come from.

"The name's Sue Sylvester…but of course you already knew that".

Quinn knew from t.v. that she had won her games when she was only thirteen years old. Of course, her games was long before Quinn was even born. Ever since then, Sue had been mentoring new tributes…but for District 2.

Gale must have been thinking the same thing. "But you're from District 2," he started, "how can you-".

Sue sat down in a chair across from them and rested her feet on the table in front of them, "Haymitch was the only District 12 victor still alive, therefore there was no one from 12 to take his place" she explained, "Obviously, the Capitol had to search for one outside of your district to replace him".

Quinn looked at her oddly, "But why would you want to mentor us?". It didn't make any sense that she would give up mentoring the District 2 tributes to mentor them.

"No one else wanted the job, although I can't see why not" she snarked, "so the Capitol was willing to pay me twice as much if I took the job".

"So you're only here because of the money" Gale finished.

Sue nodded her head, "Pretty much".

Quinn frowned, "But you will help us, right? I mean you'll help us get sponsors, prepare us for our interviews, give us tips on how to survive, right?".

Sue pondered this for a moment and shrugged, "Maybe. If I feel like it".

Gale suddenly lunged for her and luckily Quinn had anticipated this because she quickly moved in front of him, acting as a barrier between him and Sue. He bumped into Quinn a little and reluctantly took a step back, but she could still see the rage in his grey eyes. "You're our mentor!" he all but yelled, "It's your job to help us".

Fury was in Sue's eyes due to the fact that Gale had tried to attack her, "You better watch yourself, pretty boy, because I could snap your neck before you could even blink".

Gale made another movement towards her, but Quinn firmly pushed against his chest, still acting as a barrier.

"Enough! Enough!" Effie screeched, "Everyone just calm yourselves. Dinner is ready. We should all head towards the dining car". Sue glared at them both before following Effie towards the dining car, leaving Quinn and Gale alone.

Quinn finally exhaled and stepped away from Gale. She sighed, "At least she's not a drunk."

"At least Haymitch was from 12" he countered, a look of displeasure on his face, "I don't trust her. Not one bit".

"She's won this thing before" she reminded as they headed towards the dining car, "and she's mentored all the victors from two, maybe she-".

He shook his head, "You heard her, she has no intention of helping us. And even if she did decide to help us, how would we know that she wouldn't tell the Careers what she tells us? How do we know she won't tell them our strengths, our strategies? District 2 is her home. She's mentored practically all their victors. 'Mentoring' us isn't going to change her mind on where her loyalties lie".

Quinn bit her lip, "You never know, she could have a change of heart".

"I don't even think the woman _has _a heart" Gale spat as he sharply opened the compartment door. Quinn just frowned and stepped inside. Sue and Effie were already at the dining table, Sue already sipping her soup while Effie patiently waited for them. Quinn and Gale sat down next to each other, across from Effie, while Sue sat at the front of the table.

Quinn looked down at the bowl of soup in front of her, beef stew, and automatically dug in. It was one of the best things she had ever tasted. As soon as she finished, she was served some green salad, and after that pork chops with mashed potatoes and green beans. For dessert they were served apple pie and she was pretty sure her stomach would burst if she took another bite. She glanced around at the table and couldn't help but think how many families back home could be fed with the food.

"So what is it you kids can do…besides irritate me, that is" Sue questioned, looking at Gale and Quinn expectantly.

"What does it matter to you?" Gale asked bitterly, "It's not like you intend on helping us".

Quinn ignored Gale's comment and looked at Sue, "I can hunt. I'm pretty decent with a bow and arrow".

Sue nodded and her eyes flashed to Gale, "And you, pretty boy?". His jaw tightened and he reluctantly put his fork down before finally answering, "I can hunt as well. I use traps and snares a lot".

Sue looked between them both and nodded her head, "Interesting". _Maybe she was warming up to us, Quinn thought. _

"Do you have any advice for us?" Quinn asked tentatively.

Sue leaned in and Quinn did the same, ready to memorize the crucial advice she was probably about to give. "My advice to you is this," she paused for a moment, "Don't try. It'll save you a lot of time and energy. You two are as good as dead anyways". And with that she stood up and pushed her chair in before heading back to her private quarters. Gale looked over at Quinn with an _I told you so _expression.

Quinn shook her head in disbelief, her grip on her knife tightening. She abruptly stood up and chucked the knife at Sue's head in the heat of the moment. She missed Sue's head by centimeters, the knife deeply implanted in the wall. Sue stopped and glanced over at the knife before looking back at Quinn in surprise. She ripped the knife out of the wall without taking her gaze off Quinn. Gale immediately stood up and moved in front of her, this time acting as the barrier. Sue looked between the both of them seriously, her eyes narrowed, before her lips quirked up into a smirk. She tossed the knife back onto the table, "I take back what I said. Maybe you two aren't completely hopeless".

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><p>After that, they all ended up watching all the other District reapings just to get an idea of what their competition would be like. Quinn watched as both tributes from 1 and 2 eagerly volunteered. She never would understand how they could be so excited about participating in something so gruesome. Seeing their sickeningly cheerful faces, as if they had won the ultimate grand prize, was almost enough to make her throw up. She thought it couldn't get any worse after that but it did, especially when she watched young kids reaped as tributes, particularly the little girl from District 11. Knowing that twelve's reaping was coming up, Quinn pushed herself off the couch and headed towards her bedchamber. She had no desire to relive it twice in one day. Once she arrived at her room, she was surprised at the grandeur of it. It was twice as big than she ever could've expected it to be. It all felt like such a waste, seeing as how it was made for only one person when her entire family could live in one room alone. She shook her head of the thought and decided to take a shower.<p>

The shower felt so amazing that she didn't ever want to leave it. The hot water was overwhelming, seeing as how back home if she wanted warm water, she had to boil it. Here, it was all at her disposal. She reluctantly got out of the shower when she realized her skin was turning red. She walked back into her room feeling cleaner than she had ever felt in her life. She looked at her bed to see that someone, presumably Effie, had laid out a nightgown for her to wear. She picked up the fabric and fingered it, marveling at how soft it felt. She immediately dropped her towel and threw it over her head. She hung up her towel on the back of her bathroom door and picked up a brush to comb her hair. As soon as she finished, a knock came to her door. She put her brush down and walked over to her door, unlocking it before she stepped back and opened it. It was Gale.

"Hey" he greeted.

"Hey," she greeted back, her hand resting on the door, "Something wrong?".

He shook his head, "No, I just wanted to say goodnight".

She nodded her head and smiled weakly, "Oh…well…goodnight".

"Goodnight" he said back, nodding his head slightly. Despite the fact that they had just both said goodnight, neither one made a movement to return to what they were doing.

Quinn looked up at him expectantly, "…Do you want to come inside for a bit?".

He nodded, "Sure". She smiled and stepped aside so he could come inside. Once he did, she closed the door behind him.

"How do you like your room?" Quinn asked as she sat down on her bed, indicating for him to do the same. He reluctantly sat down and shrugged, "It's too big for my taste." he glanced over at her, "What about you?".

"The same," she replied, "although the shower is pretty nice". He nodded his head in agreement. They fell into silence shortly after that. She glanced over at him and bit her lip unsurely, "You know, we didn't get to finish our conversation earlier". He didn't say anything.

"Why did you volunteer for my brother?" she asked.

He gave a small shrug, "I wasn't about to stand by and watch another little kid sentenced to his own death".

She pursed her lips together, "But this was your last year, wasn't it? Then you wouldn't ever have to worry about being chosen again. Why didn't you just let my brother go?".

He gave another shrug, "Some lives are more important than others" he muttered.

She frowned, "But what about your family? What did they have to say about this?".

"Not much, I expect" he replied, now increasingly interested in his fingernails, "seeing as how they're all dead".

She swallowed hard, "…what?".

He nodded, "Yeah. My father died in a mining accident…the same one that killed yours" he finally looked up from his hands, "As for my mother, she died shortly after…out of grief, I think" he rubbed the back of his neck, "That is if you can die from grief".

"You can" she whispered, thinking back to the times when she was pretty sure her mother was going to drop dead at any second from being unable to physically handle the fact that the love of her life was gone. Quinn pushed the thought out of her mind and looked back at Gale, "You don't have any siblings?".

He shook his head, "Not anymore…thanks to some Peacekeepers".

"What-".

"After my mom died, it was just me and my younger brothers. We didn't have anyone to take care of us. For a while we were living on our own, but when Peacekeepers found out about it, they said we had to go live at a community home, where we could be properly looked after" he explained, "My brothers didn't want to leave our home. We knew that if we left, we'd probably never see it again, so they both refused to leave. Threw tantrums, things like that…" his expression hardened, "Anyways, the Peacekeepers felt they had to resort to violence…ended up hitting my brothers a little too hard" he stopped for the longest time before continuing, "After that, I was dropped off at the community home, where I waited until the Peacekeepers were gone before I got the hell out of there and headed back home. I've been on my own ever since".

Quinn wrapped her arms around him, hugging him sideways. She couldn't imagine losing everyone she cared about like he did. She couldn't imagine losing her siblings right in front of her like he did. "I'm so sorry" she whispered against his shirt, giving him a reassuring squeeze. She could feel herself fighting back tears for him. She felt his arms wrap around her, his right hand caressing her back soothingly, causing her tears to give way.

"Don't cry, Quinn" he whispered softly, "It's okay".

She looked at the wet spot she had left on his shirt from her tears and abruptly pushed him away, realizing the position they were in, "What are you doing?".

He looked at her and frowned, "What do you mean?".

"You're comforting me!" she exclaimed, "You're not supposed to be doing that. _I'm_ supposed to be comforting _you!_ You lost your family, y-you shouldn't be comforting _me_!".

"You're ridiculous" he said with a shake of his head, a small smile on his lips.

She frowned and folded her arms across her chest, "How am _I_ ridiculous?".

He chuckled, "Because you're getting mad at me for the most ridiculous reason".

"Well, I don't want to make this about me, cause it isn't. It's about you. You- ".

He stood up, his expression hard and serious again, "We've both lost family members, remember?"

She shook her head, "I only lost my dad. You lost your entire family. It's a huge difference".

He stepped towards her, "Just today you were taken away from everyone you love to be thrown into some arena to fight to the death. I think it's safe to say that I'm not the only one in this room who needs comforting, Quinn".

She hastily wiped away the tears that silently slid down her cheeks. She really hated crying. "Earlier you said that you'd do everything in your power to make sure that I came home. Why would you say that?" she demanded, looking up into his stormy eyes for an answer.

"Because it's what I intend to do," he replied, "Protect you".

"But why? Don't you want to make it out of the games _alive?_".

He shook his head sternly, "Not if it means you getting killed. Besides, it's not like I would have anything to come home to if I did. And I'd rather not end up like Haymitch, thank you very much".

She stared at him disbelief, "Is that what this is about? Just because you don't have your family doesn't mean you should just throw your life away-".

He grasped both of her shoulders, probably trying to shake some sense into her, "Look, you have a family to come home to, Quinn. One that _needs _you. I don't have anything. You need to survive this".

She pushed his hands away, "So what's your plan? Kill yourself the moment we get in the arena? That way I only have to deal with twenty-two other tributes?".

He scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. I-".

"If you think that I'm just going to let you die for me then you've got another thing coming to you" she interrupted.

He folded his arms across his chest, "And if you think I'm just going to let you get yourself killed, _you've_ got another thing coming to you". She glared at him. He glared right back at her. The two of them unyielding.

"Are we really going to do this all night?" Gale asked after a few minutes.

Quinn shrugged, "I don't know, are we?".

He sighed, "Look, I don't want to fight with you. When we get to the Capitol, I would like to have one friend there".

Her expression softened and she exhaled, "Neither do I".

Gale nodded and glanced over at the clock on her nightstand, "It's getting pretty late".

Quinn glanced at the time and nodded in agreement, "All this arguing has made me pretty tired".

Gale understood, "I'll leave then". He headed towards the door but at the last second, Quinn grabbed his wrist, and stopped him. He looked at her in surprise and she almost immediately let go of him. She could feel her cheeks start to redden and hoped Gale didn't notice it. She really hadn't meant to do that. Right?

"I can stay, if that's what you want" he said quietly.

She stared down at her toes and shook her head, "No, it's okay. You probably want to sleep in your own bed. Don't mind me, I didn't mean to anyways…it was a reflex".

"Not necessarily," he muttered, "To tell you the truth, I'm kind of afraid of the dark".

Quinn looked up at him and arched her eyebrow in surprise, "Really?".

His grey eyes sparkled as he nodded his head, "Really".

She pursed her lips together and shook her head, "You're just saying that".

He shrugged, "Maybe. Maybe not. But I think we would both have better chances of getting some sleep if we had someone by our side".

Quinn nodded, "Yeah, that's true". Maybe it was because she hadn't slept alone since before her siblings were born that she didn't want to sleep alone. It was unfamiliar to her now. She turned around and walked towards her bed, Gale following suit. She slid under the thick comforter and saw that Gale had done the same.

He looked over at her, "Do you want me to sleep on top of the covers, is this is uncomfortable for you?".

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around one of the pillows, "Don't be ridiculous. You're fine".

"Night, Quinn" he said quietly.

She smiled at him, "Night, Gale".

* * *

><p>Quinn was deep in sleep when a loud knocking jolted her awake. She mentally groaned and buried her face back into her pillow, eager to go back to sleep.<p>

"Up! Up! Up! It's going to a big, big, big day!" a faint voice exclaimed before Quinn heard her door open, "Oh my!".

Quinn blinked at the sound of Effie's voice and looked up from her pillow to see Effie in her doorway, a shocked expression on her face. Effie placed her hands on her hips and gave her a disapproving look, "I didn't realize you had company".

Quinn just looked at her and then realized that it was Gale's arms that were so tightly wrapped around her just now, the ones that had kept her so warm last night. She peeked over her shoulder and to see that Gale still sleeping soundly next to her. Quinn felt her cheeks redden at the position that Effie had just found her in, however innocent it was.

"Breakfast is ready," Effie stated, "I'd hurry up and get dressed. We have a lot to do today. We're almost to the Capitol". She walked towards the bed and laid out an outfit at the foot of the bed, "This is what you'll wear today".

Quinn nodded and watched as Effie left the room. She stayed where she was for a moment, having no desire to get out of bed. She was far too comfortable, especially with Gale. She relaxed into his body and felt his arms tighten around her. The position they were in reminded Quinn of how she slept with Frannie back home. How she held Frannie when they slept, assuring her that she would always be safe at night. Only now _she_ was the one being held. It was different. No, different wasn't the right word. It was nice. _Really_ nice. Quinn turned around in Gale's arms to face him and sighed. She gently shook him, "Gale, wake up".

He sighed heavily and his eyes reluctantly fluttered open after she shook him once more. He sleepily stared at her and then his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What are you doing in my bed?".

Quinn chuckled, "You're in _my_ bed, remember?".

He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, "Right".

She shook her head and got out of bed, "You better head back to your room and get dressed. Effie says we're nearly at the Capitol".

Gale grimaced, "Great". He got out of her bed as well and walked back to his room without another word.

Quinn looked back at the dress Effie had laid out for her. It was nothing fancy or elaborate. Very simple. She slipped on the light blue dress and found that it fit perfectly. She picked up the white cardigan that went with it and slipped that on as well. After she combed her hair, she made sure she pinned Rachel's mockingjay pin onto her dress before she left for the dining car.

When Quinn walked into the dining room, she found that everyone was already at the table, which was adorned with practically every breakfast item: toast, bacon, eggs, fruit, and pancakes just to name a few. She quickly sat down next to Gale, who was actually deep in conversation with Sue. Gale looked to Quinn, "Sue was just telling me about some strategy we should take while we're in the arena" he explained.

Quinn looked to Sue as she poured maple syrup over her pancakes, "What is it?".

"My first piece of advice is very obvious. You're first priority should be to find water. Without it, you're a goner. And don't waste your time at the Cornucopia," she continued with a shake of her finger, "It will be a bloodbath. Grab a pack if you can and run. Run until you find water."

"What about sponsors?" Gale asked.

"Capitol people are shallow and are usually generous to attractive tributes. Which is going to work in your favor," she said before taking a sip of her coffee, "But for now, just worry about your little makeovers. That's the first thing that's going to happen when you get to the Capitol. Your stylists are probably going to do things to you that you aren't going to like, but just suck it up and go with it. Don't complain".

Gale frowned, "But-".

Sue stopped him, "I said no complaints, pretty boy".

Gale reluctantly closed his mouth and went back to eating his food. Quinn could feel the train slow down and her stomach lurched at the possibility of what that meant.

"Oh goody! We're here!" Effie exclaimed happily, standing up from her place at the table to look out the window, "Yes, we're here!".

Quinn swallowed hard and put down her fork mid-bite. She had suddenly lost her appetite. They were in the Capitol now. Which meant she was that much closing to the opening ceremonies, that much closer to the interviews, that much closer to the arena, and that much closer to her death.

She felt a hand cover hers and she looked up to see that it was Gale, who was looking at her with concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded, "I'm fine".

Just then Quinn heard what could only be described as a large crowd outside of the train. Gale noticed this as well and frowned, "What's that?".

"Capitol people" Sue explained, getting up from her seat and glancing out of the window, "Or as I like to call them the Capitol freaks". Effie glared at her for that remark.

"But why are they all outside?" Quinn questioned, reluctantly getting out of her seat just as Gale did.

"To see you, of course!" Effie exclaimed as if it were the most obvious thing, "Come on now, time to greet your public!".

Before Quinn or Gale could protest, Effie grabbed each of them by the arm and led them out of the train and onto the platform where they were met with a bunch of flashing cameras. Quinn jumped when she felt Effie pinch her side.

"Smile for the cameras, sweetheart" she said as she herself smiled for the cameras, "Nobody wants a solemn tribute". Quinn looked over at Gale and saw that he was forcing a smile, but only because Effie's nails were digging into his side. Quinn sighed and forced herself to smile, even though all the cameras were practically blinding her at the same time.

After Effie and Sue guided them through the crowd of Capitol people, Quinn and Gale were quickly taken to a place called the Remake Center. Upon entering the building, they were immediately separated, colorful Capitol people pulling Gale in one direction, Quinn the other. A few hours later, after being waxed, scrubbed, cleaned, and even oiled, Quinn found herself waiting in a sterile room waiting for her stylist, who she had yet to meet. Quinn wrapped her robe more tightly around her body, mentally hoping that her stylist didn't want her to remove it. The last thing she wanted was yet another person to see her naked. Just then the door opened and Quinn was taken aback at how young her stylist was. He could pass for her age or at least around it.

"Hello, Quinn" her stylist greeted, taking her hand in his and shaking it. She looked him up and down as he did so, surprised to see that he was dressed relatively normal for someone from the Capitol.

He smiled brightly at her, "I'm Kurt Hummel, your stylist".

* * *

><p><strong>AN:Review, please!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Big thanks to those who reviewed! Just keep 'em coming! lol. Anyways, . review!**

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm Kurt Hummel, your stylist."<em>

Quinn smiled politely at him, "Hello, I'm Quinn".

Kurt stared at her for the longest time, taking her in. He then abruptly grabbed her face and jerked it to the left and the right, looking at both sides of her face. He ran his thumb across her left cheek and shook his head in disbelief, "I seriously need to get my hands on some coal dust from your district. It has to work as an exfoliator or something because your skin is absolutely flawless."

He let go of her face as quickly as he had grabbed it, "And your eyes! I highly doubt that there is anything in all of Panem that is greener than your eyes. And don't even get me started on your hair, with all your natural highlights….I seriously hate you right now" he said with a huff of frustration. Quinn wasn't sure if he was being serious or just joking around so she didn't say anything, although she could feel her cheeks redden from his compliments.

Kurt sighed and beckoned her to follow him, "Come on, let's have a chat somewhere more comfortable and less morgue-like". He linked his arm with hers and they walked down the corridor together. "My partner and I want to talk to you and Gale about what we have in mind for the opening ceremonies together" he looked back at her, "Is that alright?".

Quinn nodded, "That's fine". She couldn't help but notice that Kurt merrily hummed as he walked. "You're new to the Games, aren't you?" she said quietly, trying not to act like the cold floor bothered her bare feet.

Kurt stopped humming and nodded, "It's very exciting".

Quinn nodded, "Sorry you were stuck with Twelve". Newcomers were generally given to the most undesirable district, which was always District Twelve.

Kurt shrugged and opened the door in front of them, "Frankly I would've been happy to be the stylist for any District. To me, Twelve is just another District. I don't think it's better or beneath any of the others".

Quinn followed him into what looked like sitting room, with one wall completely made out of glass, allowing them to overlook the city.

"Please, sit" Kurt said, referring to either of the two couches in front of them. Quinn reluctantly sat down across from Kurt.

Kurt leaned forward and rested his chin in his hand, looking at her expectantly, "So that Gale Hawthorne is sure a hunk, isn't he?".

Quinn chuckled, "I guess so, yeah".

"He is absolutely positively delicious" Kurt said with a long sigh, "If only I had been his stylist, then I'd think I'd be able to die happy".

Just then the door opened to reveal a short girl Quinn had never seen before, with dark hair and dark skin strut through. She looked just as young as Kurt did. "Hey, ya'll" she said enthusiastically with a dazzling smile that showed off her pearly whites.

Kurt immediately stood up and skipped over to hug her, "Hey, Mercedes".

Quinn watched the two embrace before Kurt looked back at her, "Quinn, this is Mercedes Jones, my partner in crime and Gale's stylist" he looked back at Mercedes, "Mercedes, this is Quinn Fabray".

Mercedes walked over to her with a warm smile and shook her hand, "It's nice to meet you Quinn".

Quinn shook her hand and couldn't help glance over her shoulder, "You too…Where's Gale?".

"Right here" a voice said gruffly.

Quinn looked up to see Gale in the doorway, wearing the same robe that she was wearing, only his was seemingly smaller. Probably due to his height and broad shoulders. She could only imagine how happy he was after being poked and prodded by his prep immediately walked over to him and embraced him in a hug, hoping that it would wipe the scowl off his face.

Mercedes looked over to Kurt, "Did Quinn give her prep team any trouble? Because this boy sure caused some. He does not like to be touched, let me tell you".

Kurt just shook his head and went back to gawking at Gale. Mercedes rolled her eyes and nudged him hard in the ribs, "We've got work to do remember, Kurt?".

Kurt cleared his throat and his cheeks reddened ever so slightly, "Right". He beckoned Gale and Quinn back over to the couch, "C'mon lovebirds".

Quinn and Gale both looked at each other oddly before taking their seats across from Kurt and Mercedes.

"So the opening ceremonies are tonight" Kurt crossed his left leg over his right, "Which means you two will need _fabulous_ costumes".

Mercedes nodded, "Yeah, and that wasn't easy considering we had to work in your District's industry".

"We've done our research on past costumes for your District and to say the least, they are all horrendous".

Mercedes laughed, "And don't worry, we won't be stripping you naked and covering you in coal dust".

"I'm still having nightmares after seeing those images" Kurt said with a slight grimace.

Mercedes patted his shoulder, "Yeah, but despite having a less glamorous industry, we've managed to come up with something relatively cool".

Kurt smirked, "Or should we say _hot_".

"What is your idea exactly?" Gale asked rather impatiently. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was in foul mood.

Kurt sighed, "Look, you two are drop dead gorgeous enough. You don't need over the top costumes like everyone else. So this year we're going to keep it simple". Quinn couldn't help but sigh in relief.

"And instead of focusing on the whole coal miner aspect as everyone else has done, we plan on focusing on the coal itself" Mercedes stated.

"So what do you do with coal?" Kurt asked, looking between Gale and Quinn for an answer.

"Burn it," Gale replied, still looking at them unsurely.

"Exactly!" Kurt exclaimed, seemingly incapable of containing his excitement, "You will be the coal. And you," he pointed to Quinn, "Will be the flame. Or the Girl on Fire as I've been calling you".

Mercedes pulled what looked like sketches out of her briefcase and rifled through a few of them, "We just hope that neither one of you is afraid of fire".

Kurt scoffed, "Who cares? We're doing this anyway. It's brilliant and they'll be the talk of the Games. We are not going back to the drawing board, not that we have the time anyways" he said with a firm shake of his head.

Gale snatched Mercedes' sketches out of her hands and turned them around to look at what exactly they had planned. Quinn looked over his shoulder.

The male figure was dressed in an all black suit, very sharp and debonair, while the female figure wore a bright red and orange form fitting gown with intricate flame cut-out designs. It all looked very elegant and much better looking than any other costume she'd seen in her lifetime. But there was only one thing that bothered her: the fact that both of the figures were on fire. Now she understood what Kurt's comment had meant.

Gale stood up in outrage, "We do this and we won't even make it to the arena!".

Kurt and Mercedes both looked at each other, as if they expected this response and laughed. "It's not _real_ fire, Gale" Mercedes reassured, "It will be synthetic. It won't hurt you".

Kurt nodded, "Yeah you won't even feel it".

Gale shook his head and slammed the papers onto the table in front of them, "No thanks. I'd rather wear the stupid coal miner outfit".

Quinn stood up and pulled him away from Kurt and Mercedes, "Sue told us to do whatever our stylists wanted us to do, remember?".

"Something I never agreed to do" he muttered.

Quinn sighed, "Look, you can't deny that their idea isn't fantastic. I mean, would you really rather be naked in coal dust or those miner outfits? Besides, they said the fire wouldn't hurt us".

Gale opened his mouth to protest but she put her finger up to his lips to silence him.

"I trust Mercedes and Kurt" she said sternly, "And if we want to make a good impression on the sponsors, we _need_ to go with this plan".

Gale sighed heavily before nodding his head, "Fine. But if we both end up being barbecued, I'll-".

"Yes!" Kurt exclaimed happily, causing Gale and Quinn to both look over at him. Clearly, by the look on their faces, that Mercedes and Kurt had been eavesdropping on their conversation.

Mercedes just smiled sheepishly as she pushed herself off the couch, "Alright, now that everything's settled. We needs to get you two ready".

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Quinn was all ready to go, with her prep team, including Kurt, by her side as they waited for Gale and Mercedes to show up before they boarded the elevator to take them to the ground level of the Remake Center.<p>

Kurt moved next to her and started making small adjustments here and there, "How do you feel? Because you look amazing. You can breath in the dress right? The last thing we need is you passing out on us".

Quinn smiled apprectively and nodded her head. She gazed down at her dress in awe, she still couldn't believe she was wearing such a magnificent dress. "I feel good, a little nervous though" she admitted, while rubbing her sweaty palms on her dress.

"Well don't be" Kurt said with a shake of his head as he put some kind of spray in her hair, to make it ten times more golden than her natural hue, just so that when she looked like she was on fire, her hair would shine. "And don't touch your face, whatever you do" he warned, "I don't want you smudging my masterpiece, especially the flames". He was talking about the tiny flames he had hand painted onto the corner of her eyes.

Quinn nodded, "Yes, sir".

Kurt smiled and glanced over her shoulder, "Oh goody, they're here". Quinn turned around to see Gale and his prep team walking towards them. She sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of Gale and was pretty sure she had heard Kurt do the same thing.

Gale was dressed head to toe in black just like in Mercedes' sketch, with a black blazer, black tie, black pants and shoes. His dark hair was slicked back. All the black accented his already piercing grey eyes.

"Does he look fine or what?" Mercedes said proudly when they stopped in front of them.

Kurt nodded his head vigorously, "Very".

Quinn smiled up at Gale, "See? Isn't this much better than a coal miner outfit?".

Gale didn't respond and it took Quinn a few seconds to realize that his eyes weren't on her, but on her outfit. She pursed her lips together, did he not like it or something?

"Gale, earth to Gale" she said with a slight chuckle, breaking him out of his trance-like state.

He blinked, "Huh? What's wrong?".

"Nothing, Quinn was just wondering why you were staring at her like a piece of meat" Kurt teased.

"Yeah, you were practically salivating, Gale" Mercedes laughed as she slightly nudged him.

Gale straightened up and avoided eye contact, "I was not. I was simply admiring her. She's breathtaking…even more so that usual". Quinn watched as he moved away from Mercedes' side to stand beside her and she just hoped that the blush she felt appearing on her cheeks wasn't evident to him.

Kurt just smiled knowingly, "Okay, you crazy kids, c'mon. We don't want to be late".

He shooed them into the elevator and within seconds they were on the bottom level of the Remake Center, which was really just a gigantic stable.

Quinn and Gale both stopped as soon as they exited the elevator, taking in the other tributes. This was the first time they were in the same vicinity as all of them. They were all being loaded into their specific chariots pulled by large, magnificent horses. Kurt and Mercedes directed them to their chariot, which was led by coal black horses.

Gale helped Quinn step into the chariot and Kurt and Mercedes made sure that the bottom of her dress was safely tucked into the chariot. The last thing she needed was her dress to get caught in the wheels or something.

There was a brief announcement and the first two Districts started heading out, enabling Quinn to hear the roar of the crowd outside. They still had a long way to go since they were dead last. She swallowed hard when Kurt approached her with a lighted blow torch. "If I start screaming in pain, you have permission to take my dress off" she whispered quietly to Gale as a light joke, but he seemed to take it more seriously.

"Don't worry, Quinn" Kurt said with a light laugh once he noticed her terrified expression, "It won't hurt, promise". Quinn closed her eyes regardless. She waited for some kind of pain, but was only met with a slight tingling feeling. She opened her eyes to see that her dress was now ablaze with fake flames.

"Yes, it works!" Kurt exclaimed in relief before high-fiving Mercedes.

Quinn frowned when he turned off the blow torch, "What about Gale?".

Kurt nodded, "About him, we made a slight alteration to his suit" he looked up at Quinn, "Here's what I want you to do, about halfway through, I want you to squeeze the inside of Gale's cuff" he instructed, pointing to Gale's arm, "This button here will cause Gale's suit to burst into flames just like your dress".

"We wanted to make it seem like the fire has caused the coal to burn as well" Mercedes added quickly as the horses began to move.

Kurt nodded and hopped off the chariot, "Right and good luck! The crowd will love you!".

Mercedes squeezed both their hands, "And don't forget to smile. I'm talking to you Gale!".

Quinn held her breath once their chariot started their descent towards the City Circle. "Just remember to breath" Gale whispered before taking her hand in his and squeezing it reassuringly. Quinn squeezed back as the music and screaming of the crowd got louder. Everything was so overwhelming that she found it hard to smile, but she managed to force herself to.

Quinn looked into the crowd, as did Gale, and they found that every head was turned towards them, completely ignoring the three preceding chariots. Figuring this was the right moment, Quinn leaned into him and slipped her hand inside Gale's arm before squeezing his cuff. His suit was instantly set ablaze with flames just as her dress was. The crowd saw this and went absolutely wild, to the point where the sounds they made were almost deafening. "TWELVE! TWELVE! TWELVE!" was what the crowd chanted. It had taken Quinn a second to realize that they were chanting for _them_.

She smiled appreciatively at them, despite the fact that her cheeks were probably were bright red with embarrassment right now. At least she matched her dress. The crowd started showering them with flowers, shouting their names, as well as words of endearment. Someone threw Quinn a red rose and caught it with her free hand and graciously thanked the young admirer who gave it to her. She couldn't help but notice that Gale's grip on her hand had tightened just a little at that moment.

Quinn finally tore her gaze away from the crowd as they pulled up next to District 11's chariot. All the chariots had stopped moving and were all lined up in front of President Snow's mansion as they waited for him to make his brief speech. Her stomach lurched at the sight of him standing on the balcony above them, with his unusually red lips and snake-like eyes. The crowd was still going nuts for them and the cameras were still on her and Gale even when they were supposed to be on the President. She could only imagine how happy he was about attention they were receiving. No tributes had ever overshadowed the president as she and Gale were doing now, not that they meant to. The crowd eventually calmed down and President Snow cleared his throat before giving his official welcome. Once he finished, the national anthem started to play, and one by one the chariots began to move again.

The chariots had to parade around the Circle one last time before they all disappeared into the Training Center. Quinn finally felt herself exhale once the doors behind them closed and the roar of the crowd disappeared. Gale stepped off the chariot first, with his hand still holding hers, and helped her down. "You two were magnificent" Kurt said proudly as he and Mercedes made their way towards them, holding what looked like cans of hairspray. Mercedes and Kurt both shook their canisters and immediately used them to extinguish the flames.

Quinn looked around and realized that many of the other tributes were staring at them, no _glaring_ at them. She noticed that the beefed up boy from District 2 was looking at her with a leering smirk plastered across his face and involuntarily shuddered. She felt Gale's hand slide back into hers before he rather roughly pulled her away from the stares of the others, "Just ignore them" he whispered to her as they followed Kurt and Mercedes towards the elevator.

The four of them stepped inside the large elevator and Kurt pushed the number 12 button, explaining to them that the Training Center had a floor solely dedicated to the housing of the tributes and their teams. Seeing as how they were District 12, they were at the very top of the tower. The doors started to close, that is until a hand sliced through the thin opening, pushing the doors apart.

Quinn looked up and immediately recognized the person in front of her as the girl who won the Games two years earlier. Santana Lopez. Quinn watched as she stepped inside the elevator and punched the number 7 button. She tapped her foot rather impatiently as they made their way up. Santana looked away from the door, presumably because she felt eyes on her, and glared over at Kurt, "What the hell are you staring at, Lady lips?" she snapped, causing Kurt to quickly avert his gaze to the ceiling.

There was a soft 'ding' as the elevator doors opened and Santana wasted no time in strutting out of sight. As soon as the doors closed, everyone felt as if they could finally exhale. Kurt swallowed hard, "If looks could kill, I would be incinerated right now".

Mercedes rolled her eyes and rested her hands on her hips, "That girl thinks she's all that just because she won the games at fourteen".

"She's the mentor for Seven?" Gale asked. Mercedes and Kurt both nodded. "I can only imagine what hell she's putting those poor kids through" Kurt said with a shake of his head.

Quinn sighed, "Well, she can't be any worse that Sue, right?"

Mercedes snorted, "I'm pretty sure Santana is Sue's spawn. They're seriously cut from the same mold".

Kurt nodded his head in agreement, "Just be grateful that you didn't have to participate in the games with her".

Gale smirked, "Who? Santana or Sue?". Quinn and Mercedes chuckled.

Before Kurt had a chance to respond, the elevator doors opened and Quinn and Gale were both surprised to see Effie and Sue waiting for them.

Effie clapped her hands excitedly at the sight of them, "You two were magnificent. Simply magnificent. You were the talk of the Capitol". She walked up to them and gave them both congratulatory hugs.

Sue, on the other hand, just shook her head and glared over at Kurt, "Lame idea porcelain, they just looked like two idiots on fire".

Effie let go of Quinn and glared at Sue, "Ignore her, dear. They were just lovely. You and Mercedes did a fabulous job on their costumes".

Kurt managed to smile despite Sue's comment, "Yeah, and you they were the only ones who didn't look like freak shows. I mean did you see Four's costumes? Gag me, please".

Mercedes smirked, "Yeah, Gale and Quinn were the only ones who had some serious class".

"Something which the sponsors took noticed of" Effie noted as she sat down on the armrest of the couch. Apparently Effie had been spending the entire day trying to win her and Gale sponsors, seeing as how she knew everyone who was anyone in the Capitol. "I've been very mysterious, though" she said, her eyes squinted half shut. "Because, of course, Sue hasn't bothered to tell me your strategies. But I've done my best with what I had to work with. How Quinn sacrificed herself for her sister. How Gale sacrificed himself for Quinn's brother and all that. Unfortunately, I can't seal the sponsor deals for you. Only Sue can do that" she said grimly, which Sue just smirked at.

Effie got up and put one hand on Gale's back, the other on Quinn's, leading them down the hallway, presumably to wear their quarters were, "Now you two go get yourselves cleaned up, dinner will be served shortly. I bet you two are just famished". Mercedes and Kurt followed Quinn into her room to help her get out of her dress while Gale ventured off to his room alone.

* * *

><p>Quinn knew she shouldn't be surprised at the size of her quarters, but she was. It made her room back on the train look like a closet. In fact, she was pretty sure her room here was larger than her entire house back home.<p>

Mercedes sat down on her bed and watched as she slipped off her heels, "So…Quinn…what's the deal with you and Gale?".

Quinn picked up her heels and frowned, "Um…nothing?".

Kurt scoffed as he took her heels from her and put them away in her closet, "As if, Quinn. Have you seen the way Gale looks at you?".

Quinn shook her head and held up her hair as Mercedes helped her with her dress, "Uh…no?".

Kurt closed her closet with the push of a button and walked back over to them, "When he first saw you in your dress, he looked as if he wanted to rip it off your body and do dirty things to you".

Quinn turned beet red at his comment and didn't even know how to respond.

Mercedes smirked and helped Quinn shimmy out of her dress, "And the fact that you two held hands throughout the _entire_ ceremony says something". Quinn stepped out of her dress and just shook her head, "No it doesn't. We were just being supportive of one another. That, and neither one of us wanted to fall out of the chariot".

Kurt picked her dress up off the floor and smoothed it out, "And the fact you continued to hold hands up until just now also says something".

Quinn walked towards the bathroom, still shaking her head, "We're _just _friends. There is nothing romantic between us. I swear".

"She's in denial" she heard Kurt whisper to Mercedes.

Quinn scoffed and turned back around, "I'm not in denial!".

"You're denying being in denial" Mercedes said in a sing song voice. Quinn just slammed her bathroom door and turned around to take a shower.

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><p>After she felt she was finally cleansed of all the makeup and hair product, Quinn quickly dressed and headed towards the dining room. They spent most of dinner talking about the opening ceremonies and then to Quinn's dismay, after dinner they ended up watching the recap of it on television. Unfortunately, all the announcers could talk about were her and Gale and they mostly spent the time allotted focusing on them. Quinn, being tired from the day's events and completely bored out of her mind watching herself on t.v., found herself falling asleep against Gale.<p>

Then suddenly, she was awoken by the loud complaints of Mercedes and Kurt. She groggily opened her eyes to see that Effie had turned off the television. Quinn lifted her head off of Gale's shoulder and straightened up. "You two ought to be in bed, tomorrow's a big big day!". She got up off the couch and beckoned Quinn and Gale to do the same, "Time for sleepy time, you two". Quinn and Gale just looked at each other in disbelief. She was talking to them like they were five years old.

"Hold everything," Sue said loudly, standing up as well, "We need to discuss how you these two are to play it tomorrow. Sit back down". Gale and Quinn obediently sat back down.

Sue glanced over at Effie, Kurt, and Mercedes, "You freaks, beat it!".

They all slightly jumped at her voice and quickly left the room.

Sue looked back at Gale and Quinn, "As you know, tomorrow morning is your first training session with the other tributes. So here's my advice: Show them what you can do. Show them that you two are not to be overlooked, that you will murder them given the opportunity" her eyes narrowed as she spoke, " The same goes for the younger ones. Remember, they're children. They _need _to be terrified. It's like mother's milk to them. Without it, their bones won't grow properly". Gale and Quinn just stared at her in disbelief.

"Another thing. For private sessions, you have the choice to be coached separately or together. Decide now".

Gale and Quinn glanced at each other with no question about it. "Together".

"One last thing. In public, I want you two by each other's side every minute." Quinn knew that Gale would have no problem with this, seeing as how he had practically appointed himself as her protector. "Appear amiable to each other" she continued, "even though we already know that you are. But just make it known to everyone else hat you don't think of each other as the enemy, but as friends. I only say this because I know how close you are and if I told you two to ignore each other, you'd simply do the opposite. Now get out of here. I'm sick of looking at your ridiculously pretty faces".

Quinn headed back to her room after Sue dismissed her and Gale. She pressed the button that opened her door and stepped inside. She wasn't surprised nor bothered that Gale had followed her into her room and closed the door behind him. She was secretly hoping that Gale would because, even though she was sixteen and very much capable of sleeping on her own, she liked the company. She liked Gale's company. "I don't think we should follow what Sue said" Gale said with a shake of his head as he watched Quinn pull back the comforter.

Quinn frowned, "What, you don't want to appear amiable to each other?".

Gale shook his head and folded back the blankets on his side of the bed, "Not that. The fact that she wants us to show the others what we can do. That's more of a Career move and I don't think we should take it".

Quinn slid into bed and propped her head up with her arm, "Well then, what do you think we should do?".

Gale sat down next to her, "I think it would be better if we just saved doing what we're best at for our private sessions. During group training, we should lean the stuff we don't already know. If we lay it all out on the table, everyone else would know what to expect from us. If we kept it vague, they won't know what to expect from us and won't be able to use our talents against us".

Quinn nodded her head in agreement and rolled onto her back, "It would definitely give us the upper hand".

Gale reached over and pressed the button by their heads that turned off the lights. "Goodnight, Quinn" he whispered to her. She moved closer to him and snuggled up against his warm body, "Goodnight, Gale".

Quinn closed her eyes and after a few minutes, found that even though she was dead tired, she couldn't get her brain to shut off. She looked up at Gale and wasn't surprised to see him fast asleep. She thought back to her conversation with Kurt and Mercedes earlier and how they thought that something was up between her and Gale. It was a ludicrous thought. Although, she highly doubted that the other tributes regularly shared a bed with their District partner. But that just mean that they were close. They were close friends. There was nothing more between them than that…right?

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><p><strong>AN: Review, please!<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Big, big thanks to those who reviewed! Just keep em coming! And also thanks to the numerous people who put this on story alert! Awesome motivation! **

**Anyways, read. enjoy . review!**

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><p>Quinn couldn't help but feel anxious as she and Gale rode the elevator down to the below ground level, where their first training session was to take place. She felt Gale squeeze her hand reassuringly as if he could read her mind. "Don't worry," he said softly, his eyes on the doors in front of them, "everything will be fine".<p>

The doors opened and they stepped forward into what looked like an enormous gymnasium filled with various weapons, obstacle courses and stations. All of the other tributes were gathered in a tense circle, with all of their eyes now on the two of them. Everyone wore the same athletic training uniform with only the numbers on their arm differing. Quinn mentally counted the tributes as she and Gale walked over to the circle, and found that they were the last ones to arrive. So much for not drawing attention to themselves.

The head trainer, Atala, grabbed everyone's attention with a few loud claps before explaining the training schedule. As she spoke, Quinn couldn't help but let her eyes wander. Her gaze landed on the Careers, who looked like they wanted nothing more than to slit her throat right then and there. She quickly averted her gaze, now with the gnawing feeling that her breakfast was about to come back up at any second.

Once Atala was done speaking, she released all of the tributes, most of which went after the weapons and fighting stations. Quinn watched as the female tribute from District 2 threw a knife forcibly at one of the training dummies, slicing it right in between the eyes. She just hoped she wouldn't ever have to come face to face with that one.

Quinn tore her gaze away from the girl and realized that she and Gale were the only ones who hadn't moved on to a station. She looked up at Gale to see that he was having a heated staring contest with the District 2 tribute, the beefy one that had been leering at her after the parade. She gently pulled on Gale's hand, the last thing she needed was the two of them to get into a fight or something. "Come on, Gale. Let's go work at the knot tying station". It was the only one not occupied at the moment. Gale reluctantly tore his gaze away from the blonde boy and allowed her to lead him away.

Their trainer was very enthusiastic while teaching them how to make a simple trap that would leave a human competitor dangling by a leg from a tree. Quinn figured it was simply because he was glad to have some students. Both Gale and Quinn both knew a little about snares, Gale more than Quinn, so within an hour they were practically masters at whatever their trainer threw at them.

While they searched for another open station, a minor fight broke out between the male tributes from District 2 and 10 across the gym. Apparently the boy from District 2 accused the other boy of stealing his knife, which the boy denied. The District 2 boy looked as if he was going to snap the other boy's neck. Gale nudged her arm and Quinn looked back at him to see that he was staring up at the ceiling. She followed his gaze and saw that the little girl from District 11 was hanging above them, smiling mischievously as she held what looked to be the missing knife in question.

Peacekeepers were instantly issued in to separate the two boys and Quinn and Gale watched the situation unfold out of the corner of their eyes as they walked over to the camouflage station that had just become vacant. "Wait up!". Quinn turned around to see the blonde girl from District 1 skipping over to them, or should she say Gale.

The girl smiled up at him, batting her eyelashes profusely, "Hi, Gale. I'm Glimmer. Can I talk to you for a minute?". _What kind of a name is Glimmer? Quinn thought to herself._

Gale looked at her unsurely, "….okay?". He glanced over at Quinn, who just shrugged, as Glimmer pulled him aside. Quinn folded her arms and watched as Glimmer flirted shamelessly with Gale, complete with hair twirling, the playful touch of the arm, and all. It made Quinn think back to how bad Rachel was when she was trying to get Finn to be her boyfriend and the flirting extremes she went to.

Since she really didn't watch anymore of this, Quinn turned on her heel and headed towards the camouflage station on her own and figured she would start without him. She knew she shouldn't let this get to her. It wasn't like she had any reason to be jealous. Gale was just a friend. A fellow tribute. Nothing more. Gale walked over to the station, shortly after, and she pretended to be too involved in her work to notice. He stopped right beside her, "Hey".

"Hey" she replied, her gaze on a mixture she had made out of mud, clay, and berry juices, "Seems you've got an admirer".

Gale scoffed and picked up some leaves, mindlessly tearing them up, "That girl makes my skin crawl." Quinn couldn't help but smile at the fact that he wasn't interested in Glimmer.

She looked up at him curiously, "What did she want?".

He let out a heavy sigh and shrugged, "Something about me joining the Careers" he looked down at her and saw the expression on her face, "Don't worry, I told her to take a hike."

Quinn shook her head, "No, I knew it was coming. I mean, you'd be very useful to them. I'm not surprised that they asked."

"Well, they'll just have to manage without me" he said before playfully nudging her.

After about a half hour at the camouflage station, Quinn found that she was pretty good at it, where as Gale…not so much. She couldn't help but chuckle as she took in his work, which he noticed. He playfully glared at her, "You better watch yourself, Fabray. Another chuckle out of you and I'll…".

She arched her eyebrow and stopped what she was doing, "And you'll what?".

He reached over and dipped his finger in her mud and clay mixture before swiping his finger across her nose, "I'll do that". They both laughed for what seemed like the first time since they got here. Gale then noticed that the Careers had just occupied the fire-starting station nearby and all traces of humor left his face.

Quinn followed his gaze and sighed before looking back at him, "Just ignore them, remember?".

He nodded his head and he turned his attention back on the table.

"Mind if I try my camouflaging techniques out on you?" Quinn asked, hoping to divert his thoughts away from the Careers.

He shrugged and sat down on one of the stools, "Sure".

By the end of the hour, Gale had a perfectly camouflaged left cheek.

"I defy anyone to point you out in that arena," Quinn said with a laugh as she admired her work.

Gale just shook his head, a small smile appearing on his face, "C'mon, I think it's time for lunch".

Quinn looked around to see that all the other tributes were heading into another room connecting to the gym. They reluctantly followed them into a dinning room and were instantly dismayed to learn that they had to eat with all the other tributes. After gathering some food from the various carts spread around, Gale and Quinn sit down a nearby table. Mostly all the tributes had scattered and with a few eating only with their District partner, while the Careers all sat together as if to prove their superiority.

Quinn looked around and noticed that the small girl from 11 was staring at her a few tables over. She gave her a small smile and the girl did the same, much to the dismay of the girl's district partner. He probably didn't think that making friends here was a good idea and he was probably right. After all, out of the 24 of them, only one would survive.

* * *

><p>After lunch ended, Quinn and Gale decided they would try throwing spears at the dummy targets set up. Quinn found that the spears were heavier than they appeared, so she had a little bit of trouble throwing them far enough. She sighed in frustration and watched as Gale lifted up a spear next to her and hurled it at the dummy with incredible force, his spear landing square in the dummy's chest. Clearly he didn't think the spears were too heavy. She glanced around and her eyes landed on the little girl from District 11, who was standing back, watching them.<p>

Quinn nudged Gale, who was just about to throw another spear, and smiled, "We've got a shadow".

Gale stopped what he was doing and looked over his shoulder, he immediately noticed the little girl, "So we have". He turned back around and continued throwing spears as if she had never said anything. Quinn, on the other hand, found it hard to concentrate, knowing that the little girl was watching them. Once she and Gale had enough of spear throwing, they walked over to the plant identification station. Quinn kept looking her shoulder with every step she took and was surprised to see the little girl following them. She knew the wise thing would just be to ignore her, like Gale was doing, but she couldn't. She didn't want to. Maybe it was because the girl reminded her too much of her little sister, someone she missed dearly. So, despite her better judgment, she turned around to formally introduce herself, "Hi," she said with a slight wave, "I'm Quinn".

The girl's expression made it so that she was surprised by Quinn but nevertheless smiled up at her, "I'm Rue".

Quinn knelt down in front of her, "Like the flower?".

Rue nodded timidly, "Yeah".

Quinn smiled, "Would you like to join me and my partner? You know, instead of just hanging around?"

Rue's brown eyes lit up and she nodded her head enthusiastically, "I'd like that".

Quinn stood up and continued to walk over to the identification station, with little Rue by her side. Gale stopped walking though, causing Quinn to look up at him, "What's wrong?".

Gale shook his head, "Actually I think I'm going to go lift some weights" he replied, nodding his head towards the station across the gym, avoiding eye contact. Quinn watched him go with a frown and looked back at Rue.

"I think that was my fault" Rue said softly, looking up at her apologetically.

Quinn shook her head and continued walking, "Nonsense".

Once Quinn and Rue settled at the station, Quinn began asking Rue about her life in District 11 as they identified plants together. Quinn found that Rue knew quite a bit about edible plants, as well as medicinal and poisonous ones. She also learned that Rue had five younger siblings and that she was the oldest. She had been working in the orchards back home for as long as she remembered.

"Because I'm so small, I'm able to climb up the tallest trees so I'm always the first to know when quitting time is" she quickly identified a few more plants without even blinking, "You see, a flag is raised when the day's work is done with, but most can't see it from the fields, but I can in the trees. Once I see the signal, I sing a four note song which mockingjays in the area pick up and carry the tune to everyone else in the orchards, spreading the word that the working day was over".

Quinn smiled, "So you play a very important role back home, that's good."

"What about you?" Rue asked curiously, "What's your life like back home?".

Quinn sighed and began telling her about her life back in 12. She told Rue how she did illegal hunting to keep her family fed, she told her about Rachel and Finn, about her siblings and mother, even her father.

"What about Gale?" Rue abruptly asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

Quinn arched her eyebrow, "What about him?".

"Well, aren't you two…" she smiled cheekily before making kissing noises.

Quinn smiled and shook her head, "No, we're just friends. Actually, I didn't really get to know him until after we both volunteered at our reaping".

Rue nodded, "Oh. I just thought that you guys knew each other because he volunteered for your little brother."

Quinn just shook her head, "Nope. He just did it out of the kindness of his heart".

"Do you love him?" Rue asked teasingly.

Quinn laughed and looked down at her in surprise, "Why so interested in learning about my relationship with Gale?".

Rue chuckled, "Well, the way you two act, it gets a girl wondering…".

Quinn arched her eyebrow, "And how do we act?".

Rue rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh before lifting her hands up and interlocking them, "You're always together and holding hands."

Quinn scoffed, "Not _always_." Rue looked at her disbelievingly, a smirk on her face.

Quinn fought the urge to roll her eyes and slid off her stool, "I think we've finished with this station, don't you think? We should probably-".

"Quinn and Gale sitting in a tree" Rue started to softly sing as she slid off her stool , "K-I-S-S-".

Quinn couldn't help but laugh, "What are you-".

"Twelve? Why, yes, I am" Rue said through a fit of giggles. She really did remind Quinn of her little sister right now. And that just made the uneasy feeling that had permanently settled in Quinn's stomach worsen. She couldn't get the image of fragile Rue trying to hold her own against a two hundred pound Career wielding a sword out of her head. Now she couldn't ignore the desperate need to protect Rue once they got in the arena.

"So do you know what you're going to do for the Gamemakers?" Rue asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Quinn scanned the gym and found Gale, who was still lifting weights, "Kind of" she looked back down at her, "Do you?".

Rue nodded her head vigorously, "Do you want to see?"

Quinn frowned, "Aren't you worried that I might want to use it against you?"

Rue shook her head, "No. I trust you"

Quinn pursed her lips together, "Why?"

"Well, I had good feelings about you when I saw first saw your mockingjay pin. But now after getting to know you, I know for sure now that my instincts were right to trust you" she replied with a bright smile.

"Attention tributes!" came Atala's voice suddenly, causing everyone's head to turn, "Your first day of training is over! Please take this time to head back to your floors. I will see you all bright and early tomorrow morning!".

Quinn looked over to the weightlifting station to see that Gale was nowhere in sight. She gazed around the gym and realized that Gale had left without her. She frowned before turning around to say goodbye to Rue, who was going to wait for her partner, who's name she learned was Thresh. Quinn headed towards the elevator one her own and quickly hopped inside just as the doors were closing. Once she was inside she saw that District Four's tributes were also there. She gave them a small smile as she pressed the number 12 button, but they avoided eye contact with her. They didn't have to wait long before the doors opened at the fourth floor and the kids quickly filed out. As Quinn glimpsed into their floor, she noticed a strapping blonde haired boy waiting for them and when he looked up, their eyes met. She recognized him almost instantly. He had won the Games three years earlier at just fifteen years old.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he walked up to her and stepped into the elevator with her. The doors closed and the elevator continued its descent up to the twelfth floor. She noticed that he hadn't pressed a floor button. But then again, where would he go besides his own floor? Quinn looked him up and down, her thoughts drifting back to when she was thirteen and watched his Games on t.v. Her little sister, Frannie, had the biggest crush on him. The biggest crush a nine year old could get anyways. But that was pretty much how all the girls felt about him, with his athletic build and sun kissed hair. And although Quinn thought he had an usually large mouth that she thought he would've grown into by now, she still thought he was every bit as handsome.

Being from District Four, which specialized in fishing, the trident had been his weapon during in his Games. He wielded it with proficiency and with the help of a net he wove by hand from some vines he found in the arena, he managed to trap his opponents in his net and then slay them with his trident. It wasn't a pretty sight to see but it helped him win the games. That and his charm.

Quinn looked over at him to see that he was tapping his hands against his thighs as if he were wondering whether or not to speak to her. He let out a heavy sigh before turning his body and holding out his hand, "Hi, I'm-".

"Sam Evans, I know", she shook his hand, "I'm Quinn Fabray".

Sam grinned and let go of her hand, "You a fan?". She looked at him oddly.

He smiled sheepishly, "I was only joking". He stared down at her and smiled, "You have really pretty eyes, you know that?".

Quinn was a little taken aback by that comment, "T-Thank you". She could feel her cheeks growing warmer by the second and gazed down at the floor, "So you're mentoring again this year?".

Sam sighed and leaned against the elevator wall behind him, "Yeah".

Quinn looked over at him, "Take it you don't like it?".

He shrugged, "It's alright…it's just hard. I was stupid to think that winning the Games meant getting away from all this for good. I would've been easier to just die in the arena".

"Is that what you tell the tributes you mentor?".

He shook his head and frowned at her, "Of course not".

"Why did you get in the elevator just now?" she questioned after they fell into silence for a few moments, "Surely you don't plan on going to the twelfth floor with me?".

Sam laughed sheepishly, his gaze falling to the floor, "I just wanted to talk to you" he shyly admitted, before looking back up at her, "You're the talk of the Games…the girl on fire and all that. Just wanted to be able to say that I've met the famous Quinn Fabray".

"I'm hardly what you would consider famous," she said with shake of her head, "The games haven't even begun. All I've done is volunteer for my sister and wear a fiery dress. I don't know why people are making such a fuss".

Just then the elevator doors opened with a soft ding. "It was nice meeting you Quinn" Sam said with a wave as Quinn stepped out of the elevator. She turned around and waved back at him, "Likewise, Sam".

The doors started to close, but then Sam abruptly stopped them, "If you ever wanna talk, Quinn… I went through the exact same thing you're going through" he reminded, "Or if you ever want trident lessons, just come and find me" he said with a wide grin. Quinn laughed at his sweet yet somewhat absurd gesture. She really couldn't imagine herself ever waving a trident around in the arena. She gave him one last wave as the elevator door closed and she turned around, nearly jumping out of her boots when she noticed Mercedes and Kurt standing there, watching her.

Quinn tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "Hey guys…where's Gale?"

Mercedes rested her hands on her hips and arched her eyebrow, "What were you doing talking to Sam Evans?"

Quinn stopped and frowned, "We just met on the elevator. We had small talk…" she looked between the two of them, "is that a problem?"

Kurt shook his head, "Nope. Although, it may be a problem for _you_…"

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Mercedes' lips curled up into a smile, "Well by the way Sam was grinning ear to ear back there, we say that the boy likes you".

"In a more than a friendly way." Kurt added with a smirk.

Quinn looked at them oddly, "And you got that from one look?" Kurt nodded.

"That boy had it written all over his face!" Mercedes exclaimed, "But even if he didn't, we would've known anyways, because we are extremely good at reading people."

Kurt nodded his head in agreement, "Practically experts. So it looks like you have yet _another_ admirer. Which one are you going to choose?"

Quinn shook her head in disbelief, "Look, Gale does not have feelings for me in _that_ way and I'm almost positive that Sam doesn't either, I mean he _just _met me! You two are crazy to think that."

Kurt just smiled, "Yeah. Crazy intuitive. We know when guys are interested."

"And Sam was definitely smitten" Mercedes said with a nod of her head.

"Are you going to tell Gale?" Kurt then whipped his head to look at Mercedes, "Ooh, I wonder how he'll take it! Do you think he'll go after Sam?"

"He has no reason to!" Quinn exclaimed, "Gale does not like me in that way! We're _just_ friends."

Mercedes started shaking her head again, "You're still in denial, baby girl. And I gotta say, it's not attractive."

Quinn fought the urge to roll her eyes, "Is Gale in his room?"

Mercedes nodded, "Yeah." Quinn then walked past them and headed down the hallway towards Gale's room, not even stopping when Kurt added, "You two crazy kids better keep the door open!"

Quinn opened Gale's door and stepped inside to find him lounging on his bed, his gaze upward as he stared at the ceiling. She closed his door behind her, "Tired?".

Gale looked away from the ceiling at the sound of her voice, "Not really".

She walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge of it, "So…you want to tell me what was up with that disappearing stunt you pulled?"

His eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

Quinn turned around and sat cross legged on his bed, "After lunch, once I got acquainted with Rue, you just took off. And then after training was over, you left without me. I'm just wondering what I did to make you so upset with me."

He moved upright and moved forward so that his feet rested on the floor, "I'm not upset with you, Quinn. I just think that you shouldn't get chummy with Rue".

Quinn sighed, "I know. I just…she reminds me a lot of my little sister."

"If you get close to people here, Quinn you'll just end up getting hurt."

Quinn looked over at him, "We're close."

He sighed heavily, "It's a different situation. Look, when it comes to the other tributes, I don't want anything to do with them. The last thing I need right now is to make friends. I can't get distracted. My attention has to be solely dedicated to my plan."

"Which is…?" She knew very well what his plan was but she just hoped that if he said it aloud enough times, he would realize how wrong it was. She didn't like the idea of Gale getting killed just to save her life. She couldn't even stand the idea of such a thing happening. She didn't want him to die for her.

"To protect you and help you win the Games," he reminded, snapping her out of her thoughts, "I won't let anyone get in my way of that." He looked away from her and rested his arms on his thighs, "I just hope someone kills her before we have to".

She stared at him, appalled, "That's a horrible thing to say".

He looked back at her and arched his eyebrow, "Would you rather have to be the one to kill her?".

She pursed her lips together and shook her head, "No".

"There can only be one winner, Quinn" he said as if she didn't already know, "And if it comes down to you, me, and someone else, I will always choose you. No matter who the other person is."

"Even if it's Rue" she finished quietly.

"Even if it's Rue" he repeated with a firm nod of his head.

"Do you really think you'd be able to kill a twelve year old?"

He placed his hands on his knees before standing up, "I don't know. But what I do know is that it will be a lot easier to do if I wasn't friends with her."

She looked up at him, "I'm not going to stop being friends with Rue."

Gale shook his head, "I'm not asking you to. Just don't expect me to hang around you two."

Quinn exhaled sharply and sighed, "Well, if that's the way you feel. I can't do anything about it."

Just then Gale's door opened and Mercedes poked her head through, "Hey guys, dinner's ready." Quinn pushed herself off his bed and she and Gale headed toward the dining room together.

Dinner mainly consisted of Sue and Effie asking Gale and Quinn questions about training and how it went. Kurt and Mercedes were also present and Quinn was just glad that neither one of them tried to mention her interaction with Sam. When she started explaining the stations she and Gale went to, Sue interrupted her, "You two didn't do as I said" she said seriously, lowering her fork and arching her eyebrow.

Quinn swallowed hard, her gaze briefly going to Gale before she looked back at Sue, "Well…"

"We didn't think it was the best move for us" Gale replied, setting his fork down as well, "Showing off is what Careers do. We're not Careers. We don't work like that and don't intend to."

Sue smirked, much to Quinn's surprise and leaned back in her chair, "Gotta love reverse psychology". Everyone at the table frowned in confusion.

Sue moved herself back in an upright position and looked at Quinn and Gale, "Look, I know you two don't like me. You made that evident when you threw a knife at my head" Quinn looked down at her plate, "I'm incredibly talented and not to mention devastatingly beautiful, so you have every reason to hate me. And I'm okay with that."

Quinn frowned, "We don't hate you, Sue." Gale made a disgruntled noise which Quinn just glared at him for.

"I knew you two weren't going to listen to me, well at least you weren't," Sue glanced at Gale, "So I figured that if I told you to do one thing, you'd just end up doing the exact opposite. Which you did."

Quinn looked at her in disbelief, "So you told us to show off only because you really wanted us to lie low?"

Sue nodded, "Yep. One of the faults the Careers have is that they like to show off what they can do, sure it works in intimating the other tributes but it also gives the others an upper hand in knowing what to expect from them. You," she pointed to Gale, "look like the type who would be good only in hand-to-hand fighting. You know, the physical stuff. You don't look like you would know much about making snares and you" she pointed to Quinn, "Are too much of a pretty face. People are automatically are going to assume that you're too afraid of breaking a nail to get down and dirty. I bet you all of those tributes are going to go into a state of shock when they find out that you know how to use a bow and arrow, and let alone are damn good at it."

She took a sip of her drink and swallowed it before clearing her throat, "Now let's talk about your private sessions with the Gamemakers. Here's my advice: don't be afraid to mix it up. You have your strong points but don't focus solely on one thing. The Gamemakers see that you display one talent, you'll get a low score. For example, Q could throw a few knives in addition to her archery. You've got to remember, this is a presentation. Add whatever you think would look nice and flashy. You two are last, so it will crucial that you make them remember you. I'm not going to lie to you, they probably won't pay much attention to you. After seeing twenty-two tributes, they'll be a little restless."

"Another thing," she quickly added, "They like destruction. Try and take out some of the overhanging lights in the gym."

Gale frowned, "Now are you saying this because you want us to do the opposite of what you say or-"

"No, I've got your respect now, there's no need for reverse psychology" she said confidently, "I tell you to do something and you will do it" she turned and looked at everyone else at the table, "You all may now applaud my brilliance." No one clapped so Sue just threw them all dirty looks when dinner was over.

* * *

><p>Rue approached Quinn the next morning at training, once Atala gave everyone the okay to get to work. Gale noticed this and walked past her, heading off towards one of the obstacle courses.<p>

"He doesn't like me, does he?" Rue asked, slightly turning her head to watch Gale leave.

Quinn sighed, looking back at him as well, "It's complicated."

Rue pursed her lips together, looking up at her, "Maybe I should've kept away from you. I don't to cause trouble between you and Gale."

Quinn shook her head, "You're not causing trouble. Gale's just…well he's not comfortable making friends here."

"He sounds a lot like Thresh" Rue muttered as they walked over to the shelter-making station, "He wasn't pleased with us hanging out either."

Quinn glanced down at her, "You know, the Careers aren't the only ones who can make alliances."

Rue looked up at her questionably, "Are you saying that you want to make an alliance…_with me?_"

Quinn chuckled, "Well, yeah! I'm not talking to anyone else, am I?"

Rue sat down on a stool at their station, "B-But…have you talked to Gale about this?"

Quinn pulled out a stool and shook her head, "No, but it's not like I need his permission".

She sighed, "I don't know…you two are like this-" Rue crossed her fingers, "and if he found out, he probably wouldn't be happy about it. Actually I'm sure he wouldn't be happy about it."

Quinn knew she was right about Gale, he would probably kill her if he found out about this, but part of her didn't care. She wouldn't be able to live with herself knowing that she didn't do everything in her power to protect Rue. She needed to protect Rue. But she needed to protect Gale too. But how could she when there could only be _one_ victor?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Another one down! I tell you I nearly had a panic attack when my computer abruptly spazed out on my and shut down before I had the chance to save the progress I had made today. It was only a page and a half of writing, but it was my favorite part and when I had to rewrite it, oh my god, it was so freakin' hard, I remembered most of what I had written, but it didn't turn out the same because I couldn't remember everything. Grrr...It's nowhere near as good as my orginal draft. If only I had a super amazing memory! Anyways, REVIEW please! It would make me really happy!<strong>

**P.S.-To those who are reading my other story, sorry it's taking me so long to post a new chapter! I should have it up soon though, I'm nearly done with it! Promise! **


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Big thanks to those who reviewed! Just keep em coming! lol Glad you all are liking the story! **

**So, read. enjoy. review please!**

* * *

><p>Later that day…<p>

Once their second day of training had ended, Quinn and Rue began walking away from the station they had just finished at and headed towards the exit.

Rue stopped suddenly causing Quinn to stop as well, "Actually, you go ahead. I'm going to wait for Thresh."

Quinn looked back at her and nodded, "Okay. See you tomorrow."

Rue gave her a small wave and watched her walk out of sight before turning around and scanning the gym for Gale. She spotted him still talking to one of the hand-to-hand fighting instructors and saw this as her chance to talk to him alone.

She quickly walked over to Gale just as his conversation with the trainer wrapped up. He was about to walk away when he noticed her walking towards him. He stopped and looked at her questionably.

"Hi," she said softly, craning her neck up just to look at his face, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

He shifted his weight off his left foot and onto his right before shrugging a response.

"It's about Quinn." she said quietly, hoping that would spark his interest.

His eyebrows furrowed and he straightened up, "Is she alright?"

Rue nodded, "She's fine. She just…well…she suggested that we form an alliance together."

Gale stiffened and partially started to shake his head in disbelief, "And why are you telling me this?"

Rue sighed, "Because I don't want to get in the way of you two. I already know you're not happy about us being friends and I can tell by the look on your face that you wouldn't be happy if we formed an alliance. I don't want Quinn to lose you just because she became friends with me. She needs you," she said softly after a long pause, "…just like you need her."

Gale sighed heavily, "Look, I don't have a problem with you, Rue. Really I don't. It's just, I volunteered with one goal in mind: To do everything in my power to ensure that Quinn wins this thing and goes home. I can't lose her in that arena," his jaw tightened, "I'll take down anyone who gets in the way of that…when the time comes."

Rue nodded, "I understand. That's why I didn't accept her offer right away. She should be the one to make it out of here alive. I have a feeling she could make a real difference. She's something special."

Gale nodded his head in agreement, "Yeah, she is."

* * *

><p>Quinn left for the elevator by herself, out of the corner of her eye catching a glimpse of Gale who was still talking to one of the trainers. When she entered the elevator, she saw that she would be riding with District Four's tributes as well as District Eight's. They all avoided eye contact with her as she boarded the elevator and pushed the number 12 button.<p>

She watched Four's tributes leave the elevator, and just as the doors were closing, she heard her name being called. She immediately stopped the doors from closing and looked to see Sam jogging towards the elevator, a huge grin on his face. "Hey, you" he greeted as he stepped inside, the elevator doors immediately closing behind him, "I was hoping to see you again."

Quinn arched her eyebrow, "Really?"

Sam nodded, "I was wondering if you maybe wanted to hang out."

"Hang out?" Quinn repeated.

"Uh, yeah" Sam said with a nod of his head, his gaze drifting to District Eight's tributes, who were now looking over at them out of the corners of their eyes.

Quinn's gaze flickered over to them before looking back at Sam, "But where?" She highly doubted that Sue would be okay with another District's mentor coming up to their floor.

Sam shrugged and glanced up at the numbers above them indicating what floors they were passing, "We could just rid the elevator for a while."

Quinn couldn't help but sigh in relief when the elevator stopped at the eighth floor and the tributes quickly got out, leaving her and Sam alone. "How about the rooftop?" she suggested, "Since we're on the top floor, we have access to it."

Sam nodded, "Okay, I've never been up on the roof before."

* * *

><p>Once they reached the twelfth floor, Quinn got out first and walked down the hallway to see if anyone was there.<p>

"Where's your team?" Sam asked inquisitively as he looked around the living room.

Quinn shook her head and shrugged, "I'm not sure what Effie and Sue do while Gale and I are at training, or our stylists for that matter. Gale's probably still downstairs, on his way up. Come on, this way."

She led him to a flight of stairs at the end of the hallway that lead to the roof. When they walked out onto the roof, she heard Sam's breath catch in his throat behind her. The view from here was rather spectacular, especially now as it was nearing sunset. They walked towards the railing at the edge of the roof together.

Sam looked straight down the side of the building to the street, which was buzzing with people. "I'm surprised they let tributes up here. Wouldn't they be worried that you might decide to jump right over the side?"

"You can't" she replied with a shake of her head. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She held out his hand into seemingly empty space. There was a sharp zap and she quickly retracted her hand, "Some kind of electric field throws you back on the roof."

Sam sighed, "Too bad." Quinn nodded her head in agreement.

He leaned against the railing and looked over at her, "So how's the training going?"

Quinn walked over to the garden and examined a blossom, "Good, I guess."

Sam walked up beside her, "I bet it's intimidating, though. Especially watching the Careers and all."

Quinn nodded her head and continued to take in the various flowers surrounding her, "Bet you wouldn't know anything about that feeling now would you?"

Sam frowned, "Just because I was a Career, doesn't mean I intimidated and terrorized the other tributes."

"No, you just slaughtered them with a giant fork" she mumbled under her breath as she caressed the petal of a white rose. She looked back at him and noticed his hurt expression, "I'm sorry," she said after a long sigh, "I can be a bitch sometimes."

"Don't think for one minute that I ever enjoyed killing those kids" he said seriously, his usually light blue eyes darkening to cobalt blue.

"I know you didn't" Quinn said with a shake of her head, "I watched your Games, Sam. I saw how you…broke down after each kill."

Sam forced a smile, "Was there at least beauty in my breakdown? Because that was my whole thing, being handsome, being flirtatious," he grimaced slightly, "Desirable."

Quinn looked up at him curiously, "Something you want to share?"

Sam moved away from her and walked back over to the ledge, resting his hands on the railing. Quinn followed him. "I'm not the lothario I seem to be in public, on television…it's all an act." he said quietly, looking out over the Capitol, "An act that I'm going to have to follow through with until I'm dead. It never ends," he said with a shake of his head, "even when the Games do. They will always own you. They will always control you."

"Your conquests are legendary throughout Panem," she said quietly.

"I know" he replied through gritted teeth.

"But it's not by choice…is it?" she asked tentatively

Sam shook his head and shut his eyes tightly as if trying to forget the memories she had just brought up. She touched his shoulder reassuringly.

"They wanted me to stay popular in the Capitol" he muttered, his eyes still shut, "they said if I didn't do what they said, they'd go after my family."

"Those women they say you…" she drifted off uncomfortably.

Sam opened his eyes and shook his head, "It wasn't by choice. It was never my choice. I would never willingly be that kind of guy."

Quinn swallowed hard, "How long has this been going on?"

He straightened up and sighed, "Two years"

Quinn's eyes widened, "But that means it started when you were sixteen…you were underage…but that's illegal!"

Sam scoffed and looked back at her, "It's the Capitol, Quinn. They can do whatever the hell they want. They can make you do whatever they want or _who_ever" he said bitterly.

"I'm so sorry, Sam" she whispered, walking up to him and wrapping her arms around him. He stilled for a moment, surprised at this gesture. A smile then spread across his face and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I've never told anyone about this" he said quietly.

"I'm here for you, always know that." she said over his shoulder before slowly pulling away.

Sam smiled down at her, "That means a lot."

His smile slowly disappeared though and Quinn frowned, "What's wrong?"

He looked down at the floor glumly, "Now I'm _really _hoping you win the games."

Quinn looked at him oddly, "I don't understand why you're frowning".

"Because I don't want you to win the games" he said quietly, before looking back up at her to meet her shocked expression. "But not because I hate you or want to see you die or anything like that" he quickly added, "cause I don't"

"Then what…?"

Sam sighed, "I just…I don't want you to ever have to go through what I'm going through. If you win, who knows what Snow has planned for you. I mean, you're a beautiful girl, he could very well force you to do the same thing that he's forcing me to do" his hands clenched into fists at the very thought.

Quinn touched his hands, "Don't think about that, Sam."

He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, nodding his head, "Yeah, you're right. I'm probably just being overly dramatic."

"You know I'm really glad that you felt that you could talk to me about this." she looked up into his eyes, "I won't tell anyone about it, Sam. Promise."

Sam nodded his head, "I know that, Quinn." he lifted his hand and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear for her, " That's why I told you in the first place. I trust you."

Quinn smiled and subtly took a step back, "You're the second person to say that to me in a forty-eight hour period, you know that?"

Sam just smiled, "Well I'm not surprised. You give a person every reason to trust you."

Quinn's gaze dropped to the floor, her attention now on her boots, "Well…I don't know about that. I'm not perfect."

"No one's perfect" he said with a small laugh, "But you've got a truly good heart and in this day and age that's hard to come by. It's no wonder you have so many admirers."

Quinn fought the urge to roll her eyes, "Oh no, not you too…"

Sam's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What do you talking about?"

Quinn sighed, "Gale!" she threw her hands up in frustration to emphasize her point, "Mercedes and Kurt seem to think that he likes me likes me, which I know is absurd because we're not like that. We're just friends, nothing more between us!"

"So he's not your boyfriend?" Sam said slowly.

Quinn shook her head, "No."

Sam pursed his lips together before asking, "Do you have a boyfriend back home?"

Quinn shook her head again, "I've been a little preoccupied trying to keep my family from going hungry to worry about boys and dating." If she had known any better, she would've said that she saw a small twitch of a smile appear on Sam's face. Like if he was happy that she didn't have a boyfriend. Not wanting to delve into that territory, she looked away from him and noticed that it was getting darker. "We should probably head back inside" she said softly, "It's getting late."

Sam looked up at the sky and sighed, "You know, I've always loved astronomy. Something about all that space makes my problems seem kind of small." he squinted his eyes and then pointed upward towards the sky, "That one up there is Venus, Planet of Love."

Quinn chuckled, "Actually, I believe it's Mars, Planet of War."

Sam looked away from the sky and back at her, "Which one are we on?"

"Earth" she replied with a small shake of her head, "Come on, we should get going."

Sam sighed heavily, "Ok." Quinn chuckled and took his hand, leading him away from the garden and right into…Gale. Quinn immediately stopped upon seeing Gale, her hand sliding from Sam's, "Gale, what are you doing up here?" She couldn't help but swallow hard as she noticed how stormy his grey eyes were. That was never a good sign.

"Effie couldn't find you anywhere and this was the first place I thought you might be" he replied, his gaze drifting over to Sam, who was still next to her. Sam cleared his throat and extended his hand to Gale, "Um…hey man, I'm Sam Evans." Gale just stared at it, his harsh gaze stating that he refused to shake his hand.

Sam awkwardly retracted his hand and glanced back over to Quinn, "I'll see you later, Quinn. Good luck on your private session tomorrow. I know you'll be amazing."

Quinn smiled, "Thank you, Sam. And if you need to talk some more, I'll be here. Well, not here _here, _on the roof I mean," she said with an awkward laugh, "Although I might be, but I'll most likely be downstairs, you know…"

Sam chuckled and nodded understandingly, "Thanks, Quinn. Bye" he glanced at Gale as he headed towards downstairs and murmured a goodbye, which Gale just ignored.

* * *

><p>Once Sam was out of sight, Gale looked back down at Quinn, "Since when are you and fish boy friends?".<p>

Quinn frowned at his hostility, "We met in the elevator yesterday when _you_ ditched me after training. And his name is not fish boy, it's Sam."

"Frankly I don't give a damn, what were you doing talking to him? And up here of all places?" he demanded.

"We are friends and as friends we decided to come up here and talk, get to know each other better, that's all." she explained, her annoyance slightly rising at how Gale was acting.

Gale shook his head and looked down at her in disbelief, "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

He sharply turned on his heel and stormed back downstairs without another word. Quinn stood there for a moment, her mouth agape, before she quickly followed him.

"What is wrong with you, Gale?" she demanded when she finally caught up to him back on their floor, "Why are you so mad at me for hanging out with Sam? First Rue, now Sam? It's like you don't want me to have any friends here but you!"

Gale sharply stopped and turned around causing Quinn to nearly run smack into him, "Speaking of Rue. I had a little chat with her today. She told me about you wanting to make an alliance with her…what the hell were you thinking?"

Quinn frowned, "When did you and Rue ever talk?"

"As soon as you got on the elevator after training, she approached me" he quickly explained before asking again, "What were you thinking, Quinn?"

Quinn folded her arms across her chest, "I was thinking that she and I are friends and that it would be a good idea. I am not just going to stand by and watch her get killed in that arena."

"Even if it means you getting killed?"

Quinn nodded her head, "Yes."

"You're being selfish, you know that?" he spat, "You have a family who needs you and you're just going to sacrifice yourself for someone you hardly know?"

Quinn scoffed, "You're one to talk, Gale! That's exactly what your doing for me!"

"It's different, I don't have a family who needs me, remember?" he said loudly, his temper rising.

"I don't want you to die for me, Gale!" she cried out in frustration, "I won't let you! How many times do we have to be over this?"

"It's going to happen whether you like it or not." he said firmly, "And besides you really think Rue is going to let you die for her? She may be just a kid, Quinn, but she's smart. She knows what your intentions are."

"Is it so horrible that I want to try and save a twelve-year-old girl from getting slaughtered in the arena?" she yelled, tears welling up in her eyes, "I'm just trying to do the right thing!"

"Hey, shut up!"

Gale and Quinn both turned to see Sue stalking towards them, Effie on her heels. "What the hell is with all the yelling?" she demanded.

Quinn shook her head and huffed in frustration, "Nothing." Gale was adamant to say anything either.

Effie looked between them both, her hands on her hips, "It doesn't, by any chance, have anything to do with the fact that Sam Evans of District _Four_ was here on _our_ floor?"

"Which leads to this question: why the hell was Sam Evans _here_?" Sue all but screamed, her face enraged.

"We were hanging out" Quinn quickly replied, "He's my friend."

Sue and Effie both looked at her in disbelief, similar to the way Gale looked at her just moments ago.

Quinn looked at them both, "What? There's nothing against tributes making friends with other district mentors, is there?"

"No, but it's an incredibly stupid thing for you to do, Q" Sue spat.

"She's right, Quinn" Effie started, "And bringing him up here wasn't a good idea".

"It most definitely wasn't a good idea!" Sue exclaimed, "He could be trying to spy on us, give his tributes the upper hand".

Quinn shook her head, "No, Sam's not like that. He's not trying to get the upper hand. He's my friend and we were just getting to know each other."

Gale scoffed, "Yeah, trying to get to know what you're plans are for the arena, what your strengths are, your weaknesses…he's using you Quinn."

Quinn threw her hands up in aggravation, "He's not using me! Why is that so hard to understand?" She then sharply turned on her heel and stormed off to her room.

* * *

><p>When Dinnertime rolled around, Quinn heard Effie walk up to her bedroom door and knock three times before asking her if she was joining them for dinner. "No thanks" Quinn replied from her place on her bed, "I think I'll just eat in here tonight." She didn't feel like eating with everyone else, just because she knew things would be tense. Gale was undoubtedly still mad at her, Effie was probably still disappointed in her choice to bring Sam up to the roof, and Sue had to still be furious for making friends with the 'enemy'. But it's not like she would starve, there was a compartment where she could just order food and have it appear before her in an instant.<p>

She spent the rest of the night in her room, reading a book until her eyes grew tired, when she then figured she should get some sleep. After all, tomorrow was a big day, or a big, big, big day in Effie's words, considering Quinn had her private session with the Gamemakers tomorrow. She slid into bed and realized she had a lot more space than she usually did. Then she realized why. Gale wasn't here. She sighed, knowing that he probably wasn't going to come over tonight. She was in the process of making herself comfortable when her door suddenly opened and Gale stepped into the room. She pushed herself onto her elbows and looked at him in surprise as he walked over to her bed and took his usual side of the bed without a word. "You know, you don't have to stay with me if you don't want to," she muttered, rolling onto her side, her back now towards him. She knew that he was probably here out of pity, probably thinking that she couldn't handle sleeping alone for one night.

"I'm fine" he said quietly, pulling the covers over his body.

She scoffed and turned around to face him, "You're not. If you don't want to sleep you I won't force you to stay. I don't need you here."

He looked back at her, "Do you want me to leave?" he snapped.

"I don't want you to be here if _you _don't want to be here." she replied, trying to keep her composure. The last thing she wanted was to go to sleep aggravated.

"I want to be here" he said quietly.

"But you're still mad at me," she reminded, "How does that work?"

Gale huffed in frustration, "I don't know! Can we just drop it, please? We have a big day tomorrow and we both need to be on our A-game for the Gamemakers."

"Look, I'm just trying to figure out what's really going on with you! And if you don't like it, you can just leave because I wouldn't want to make you stay with someone you hate."

Gale sighed, "I could never hate you, Quinn. I'm just…"

She looked at him expectantly, "What?".

He shook his head and rested his head against one of the pillows, "Never mind."

Quinn sighed and rolled back onto her side, holding her pillow close to her, "Night, Gale." It was clear that he wasn't leaving any time soon and although she was still upset with him, she was glad that he wasn't.

So closed her eyes soon after saying goodnight and even though she was pretty tired, she couldn't get her brain to shut off yet _again_. She wondered if Gale was having trouble sleeping too. She quietly turned around to face him and saw that his eyes were closed but had a feeling he wasn't in a deep sleep.

"Thank you" she said softly.

His eyes fluttered opened and he stared at her, "For what?"

"The turkey" she replied.

His forehead creased, "What turkey?"

She smiled a little, "The first time we ever met, in the woods, I was twelve you were fourteen. I hurt my ankle and you carried me home. You left the turkey I had been trying to hunt on our doorstep. I know it was you."

He didn't say anything but she could tell by his expression that he remembered it clearly. "I didn't think you remembered that" he said quietly after a long pause, a small smile appearing on his face.

She nodded her head and moved a little closer to him, "You don't forget things like that…at least I don't."

He gently brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear, "Good to know." She couldn't help but shiver when his fingers touched her cheek and caressed her skin. He did that for the longest time, merely caressing her cheek all while staring very intently at her as if he was trying to memorize her or something. She closed her eyes and placed her hand over his, caressing his hand while he caressed her cheek. It didn't take long for her to fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

><p>The next day…<p>

Quinn nervously wiped the palms of her hands on her thighs as Rue was called into the gymnasium, leaving just herself and Gale outside in the hall. Quinn really hated that District 12 was last for the private sessions, even though they were always last for everything. She just hated having to wait so long, watching tribute after tribute go in, while she and Gale were stuck here.

She glanced over at Gale, who was his usual stoic self, "Are you nervous?"

He shook his head, "No, not really." he glanced over at her, "But you are."

Quinn smiled sheepishly, "A little."

He clasped her knee and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "You'll be great. Don't worry."

"So will you" she said quietly, smiling up at him.

He rubbed his hands together and nodded, "Hopefully."

They waited in silence for about twenty minutes before the intercom system echoed in the hallway, the Gamemaker's calling Gale's name.

He reluctantly stood up, "Well, here goes nothing."

Quinn stood up and gave Gale a good-luck hug, hoping to ease his animosity towards her after everything with Rue and Sam, even though they had ended last night on a good note, she could tell it was still there. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his hard chest, enveloping her in a firm hug. It lasted only a few seconds though because Quinn didn't want to get him in trouble by making him late.

She anxiously tapped her foot as she waited for her name to be called. She tried not to think about Gale too much, instead focusing on what she had planned to do for her own session. She waited what seem liked hours before her name was called over the intercom system. She swallowed hard and closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. She stood up and nervously ran a hand through her hair before quickly pulling it up into a ponytail as she made her way towards the gym. As she walked into the gymnasium, she noticed all the Gamemakers perched up on the usually empty balcony. She then noticed the shattered glass on the floor beneath where the Gamemaker's resided. She couldn't help but get the sinking feeling that Gale had something to do with it.

She noticed the bows against one of the walls and her thoughts of the glass disappeared. She wiped her hands on her thighs as she walked, feeling the gaze of the Gamemakers on her. She picked up the bow and a quiver full of arrows, feeling more at ease as she held it out in front of her and pulling the string back. She'd been in this position a million times before, so she was bound to do alright. But as she got the feel for it, she realized that the string was tighter than she was used to, and the arrow more rigid. It was due to it being of better quality than her one back home but she hoped it wouldn't affect her aim that much. She turned her head and noticed some snares scattered around the gym and automatically knew they were Gale's by their complexity.

She started to shoot a few practice arrows at the human silhouettes to get the feel of them and as she did so, she began to wonder on whether or not she should inform the Gamemakers that this was for practice. She didn't want them to think this was the real deal.

When she felt she was ready to show them what she truly could do, she stepped back and turned on her heel, looking up at them expectantly.

"Feel free to proceed Miss Fabray" one of the older Gamemakers said with a nod of his head. She obediently nodded and turned back around. She knew the Gamemakers would be like performing in front of children. Destruction and lavish moves would keep their interest. She would have to work fast too, because like children, they would probably quickly lose interest if she didn't capture their attention right away.

She walked over to the row of dummies set aside and began setting them where she wanted as quickly as she could. She made her to put a significant distance between her and the dummies before stinging her arrow in one fluid movement, taking half a second to aim before releasing it. The arrow struck the first dummy right through the heart. She didn't look back to see the Gamemaker's reactions, instead she kept moving. She immediately skewered the other dummies in the heart, rolling over her shoulder for extra flare in between shots. She then hooked her bow over her shoulder and picked up a few knifes and also threw them at the dummies, the knifes sharing the target with the arrows she had just shot. Once she finished off all the dummies with the knifes, she corkscrewed up and shot three arrows at the three handing lights dangling above her head, sending down a shower of sparks. She ended with a big smile as the Gamemakers gave her some respected applause. One of the Gamemakers nodded his head, "Thank you, Miss Fabray. You are dismissed."

* * *

><p>Quinn walked into the elevator and pressed the number 12 button, feeling like a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She leaned against one of the walls and exhaled in relief, a smile appearing on her face as she thought back to how good she did. She was sure that she would at least get a decent score. She began to wonder how Gale did and whether or not that glass on the floor was his fault. The elevator dinged and the doors slowly opened on the twelfth floor. She stepped out of the elevator and could smell appetizing aromas coming from the dining room. She glanced at the clock in the hallway to see that it was indeed dinnertime.<p>

She walked into the dining room to see Gale and Effie standing around talking while Sue was at the table filling her plate.

Gale's gaze drifted away from Effie and when their eyes met, he quickly headed over to her, "How did your session go?" he asked worriedly before pulling her into a bone crushing hug that left her unable to breathe.

"Fine" she croaked with a slight chuckle. Gale reluctantly let go of her and led her towards the table. Gale pulled out her chair for her before they both sat down next to each other.

"We waited for you dearie, well at least Gale and I did" Effie said to her as she took her seat, briefly shooting a disapproving look at Sue.

Quinn looked around and frowned, "Are Mercedes and Kurt not eating with us?"

"Oh no dearie" Effie said with a shake of her head, "They are busy working on costume ideas for your upcoming interviews. But they said that they would join us when they announced your scores."

"So how bad did you two do in your sessions?" Sue asked with interest, "What did you do, Q?"

"Nothing super amazing." Quinn said honestly as she filled her plate with potatoes, "I just did some shooting and threw some knives. Shattered some of the lights just like you said."

Sue nodded her head in approval, before turning her attention over to Gale, "So what did you do, pretty boy?"

"Made a bunch of snares" he replied as he sliced through his meat, "Threw spears at the dummies which caused them to fall into the snares and get caught by the necks, Gamemakers seemed to like it."

"Was there glass on the floor when you came in?" Quinn questioned, "Cause there was when I got there."

Gale remained silent, his attention now on his green beans. Effie gasped, "Gale! What did you do?"

Gale put his fork down and sighed, "I may or may not of thrown a spear at the Gamemakers."

Effie's expression was that of pure horror while Sue seemed a little surprised.

"What would ever posses you to do such a thing?" Effie screeched.

Gale shrugged, "Their food had just arrived and suddenly they were more interested in the roasted pig than me. I had to call attention to myself somehow so I shattered the glass railing. Last thing I saw was a few avoxes unsuccessfully trying to pry the spear out of the wall."

"Ballsy move, pretty boy" Sue said with a nod of approval before pushing herself out of her seat, "It was nice knowing you, Hawthorne. Too bad you won't make it to the arena."

Quinn frowned, "Why do you say that?"

Sue looked down at her, "Because he has royally screwed himself over by pulling that little stunt. The Gamemakers won't stand for something like that."

Effie nodded her head in agreement, "They don't take an attack on their lives very lightly."

"But it wasn't like was trying to hurt them. He only wanted to get their attention. It was an innocent mistake." Quinn defended.

"And what if I were to just innocently murder you, Q? I'd still have to go to trial. Probably get off with justifiable homicide." Sue sniped.

Gale just shook his head and stabbed his potato with his fork, "They wouldn't do anything hasty. They need me to be a tribute. It would be a pain for them to have to replace me now, with the Games so close."

Quinn shot him a distressed look, "But they could make your life hell in the arena."

"They were going to that regardless. They always do." he murmured.

Once dinner finished, everyone situated themselves in the living room around the television. Sue sat down on far left side of the couch, with Effie sitting on the arm rest next to her. Quinn sat down in front of Gale, resting her back against his chest on the other side of the couch as they anxiously awaited for their scores to be broadcasted. Quinn was drawing invisible circles on Gale's hand out of boredom when she heard the elevator doors open. She could hear Kurt and Mercedes' voices as they made their way down the hall.

"Hey guys" Mercedes greeted as she and Kurt entered the living room. They walked around the couch and they both raised their eyebrows and Quinn and Gale. They exchanged knowing glances before sitting down next to them.

"So did we miss anything?" Kurt inquired, looking around at everyone.

Effie shook her head, "No, but look! It's starting!"

Quinn looked up at the television to see that the unmoving Capitol seal had disappeared and the faces of District one's tributes popped up. She already knew that the girl was Glimmer but she learned that the boy's name was Marvel. Yes, _Marvel. _Clearly Gale was thinking the same thing because she heard him snort behind her when they revealed his name. Their scores were just as high as Quinn expected. Their faces slowly disappeared and were replaced with pictures District two's tributes. They both smiled menacingly at the camera. They're names were Clove and Cato. Odd names in Quinn's opinion but just as menacing as they appeared in person. One got an eight, the other a nine. Average scores for Careers, while everyone else usually averaged at a five or six.

The tributes' photos came and went, with Kurt and Mercedes giving their own entertaining comments to lighten the mood as everyone else anticipated Gale and Quinn's scores. Quinn bit her lip anxiously when Rue and Thresh's photos appeared. She mentally crossed her fingers that Rue got a really good score. Seven. She received a seven. Her ability to climb, leap, and sneak around unseen must of really impressed the judges.

"Here we go!" Kurt all but squealed grasping Mercedes's for support as Gale and Quinn's photos popped up.

"You two have got to be the hottest tributes ever" Mercedes said encouragingly as they took in their rather photogenic pictures.

"Don't forget Sam Evans, he's a hottie" Kurt said with a smirk meant for Quinn to see. Gale heard his comment and scowled. Quinn squeezed his hand reassuringly which seemed to relax him a bit.

Everyone practically held their breath and Kurt all but screamed in surprise when two elevens appeared beneath their pictures.

Quinn stared up at the screen, her mouth agape, "How on earth…?"

Gale kept on shaking his head in disbelief even as Mercedes and Kurt got off the sofa and began dancing with each other merrily. "Maybe I should throw spears at the Gamemakers more often" Gale said in an amused tone.

"Maybe you should" Quinn said with a light laugh before she turned around and wrapped her arms around him in a congratulatory hug.

"My,my,my, I do believe this is a first!" Effie exclaimed happily as she broke out a bottle of champagne.

"Congratulations you two," Sue started when Quinn finally let go of Gale, "Didn't think you had it in you."

Quinn's eyes narrowed and she chuckled, "Yes you did, Sue. You know you believed in us."

A small smirk appeared on her face, "You have no proof."

After everyone had champagne and spent a while chatting and gushing over the scores, Sue finally sent Quinn and Gale off to bed like children, seeing as how they coaching with Effie in preparation for their upcoming interviews. Quinn walked into her room with a yawn and began shedding her clothes. She slipped into her pajamas and as she opened her closet to put her shoes away, she was surprised to see Gale's clothes suddenly in there. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Just then Gale walked into her room, "Have you seen my…?".

She looked back at him and pointed to her closet. Gale followed her gaze and frowned, "Why are my clothes in _your _closet?".

Quinn shrugged but then thought about it for a moment and then realized who was to blame, "I think it was Effie."

Gale walked towards her, confusion still on his face, "Why would Effie…?".

"She's the only one who knows about our nightly sleepovers, maybe she thinks she was trying to help" Quinn suggested as she headed towards her bed.

Gale just shrugged, "Alright then." He walked over to her dresser and opened up one of the drawers.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Quinn exclaimed. She had her bras and underwear in those drawers and if he were to see them…

Gale looked back at her, "What? I'm looking for my pajamas."

Gale ruffed through the drawer and pulled out navy blue pajama bottoms that were definitely his, "See?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry I just ended it there, I wasn't sure when to stop. lol <strong>

**Review please! Pretty please?**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Big thanks to those who reviewed on the last chap! So glad so many of you are enjoying this story! Since it's Dianna Agron's B-day today, I figured that today was the perfect day to add a new chapter. lol. So, please, read. enjoy. review!**

* * *

><p>The next day Quinn and Gale were scheduled to prepare for their interviews the following evening. They each had to spend four hours with Effie involving presentation and then another four hours with Sue for content. After breakfast was over with, Effie and Quinn headed into Quinn's room while Gale and Sue took up the sitting room.<p>

Quinn was grateful that her planned four hour session with Effie only ended up lasting about an hour. Effie had told her that she usually spent the four hours teaching her tribute how to show poise, grace, and etiquette during her interview. But apparently Quinn had a lot of this naturally, so there wasn't much work to be done with her, which she was relieved to hear because she wasn't sure she could stand being stuck with Effie for four whole hours. Effie reminded her a lot of Rachel. They both had many good qualities but after spending a few hours with them, they really started to get on your nerves. Despite that, Quinn went along with whatever Effie told her to the point where Effie actually believed that Quinn was having fun prepping with her. (Which really wasn't the case but she didn't need to know that.)

Once their session was done with, Quinn was left alone in her room as Effie went to prepare for her session with Gale. Quinn rested her back against her headboard as she laid on her bed and wondered if Sue and Gale were going to take the next three hours prepping or if they would finish early. She really didn't want to wait that long for her session with Sue. She was already anxious enough as it was and she knew waiting would just make it worse. There was no doubt that preparing with Sue wasn't going to be the cakewalk that it had been with Effie.

Gale shifted in his seat restlessly as Sue continued to interview him in preparation for the real thing with Caesar Flickerman. They had been at this for the last hour and a half, which made no sense seeing as how his actual interview would only take a few minutes. "Okay, let's stop for a minute" she abruptly said, disregarding the question she had been in the middle of asking him. He couldn't help but let out a huge sigh of relief, which Sue then glared at him for.

"You're doing great," she reassured, "But you have failed to answer my question."

Gale folded his arms across his chest and scoffed, "I've answered every question you've thrown at me."

"All but one" she pointed out, "which you've cleverly managed to evade several times so I'm going to ask it once more and this time I want a straight answer. Got that?"

Gale stiffly nodded his head.

Sue leaned back in her seat and folded her hands in her lap, "My question is simple: Why did you volunteer for Quinn's little brother at the reaping?"

Gale stayed quiet and avoided her gaze.

"You and I both know that Flickerman is going to ask you something along the lines of that, so start talking" Sue pressed.

Gale kept his silence.

Sue sighed in exasperation, "Fine. I will answer it for you." she leaned forward in her seat, staring at him directly, "You, Gale Hawthorne, did not volunteer to save Quinn's little brother. You did it to save her."

Gale's jaw tightened for a moment, "So what if I did?"

Sue smiled smugly and leaned back in her seat, "Well that was an obvious yes to that statement," she looked at him expectantly, "So do you plan on telling Quinn about your feelings for her?"

"Who said anything about me having feelings for her?"

Sue rolled her eyes, "Don't play dumb with me, Hawthorne. You and I both know that you do. And if I were you, I would come clean about my feelings your interview with Caesar."

He stared at her in disbelief, "Are you telling me that I should confess my feelings for Quinn on _national_ television? Are you _fucking_ insane?"

Sue glared at him, "_Do not _take that tone with me, kiddo. The only reason I'm bringing up your pathetic feelings is because we can us them to our advantage. If we play it like you two are star-crossed lovers, you two will be more likely to get sponsors."

Gale shook his head and pushed himself off the couch, "No way in hell. I'm not going to profess my feelings for her on national television just so it gets the crowd to like us". He walked around the couch and headed towards the hallway.

"It will keep the two of you alive. It will keep _her_ alive." Sue stated, knowing that the latter comment would keep Gale from leaving, which it did. He stopped and reluctantly turned back around.

"People will eat up a doomed-lovers gimmick." she continued, "It's never happened before and the people will be very intrigued by it. And if you and Q play your cards right during your interviews, you will have the entire Capital supporting you two. The star-crossed lovers of District 12. It's guaranteed to get you sponsors."

Gale pondered the idea for a few moments before shaking his head, "I can't."

She looked at him closely, "Can't or _won't_?"

"I won't do that to her" he said firmly, finally looking back at her, "She doesn't even know I have feelings for her." he shook his head again, "I won't do it. I'm sorry, Sue but I can't."

Sue shook her head, "Don't apologize, in the end _you'll_ be the one paying the price."

Gale rested his hands on the back of the sofa, "Quinn will do good in her interview, I know she will. She'll end up winning over all the sponsors. She doesn't need to be apart of this star-crossed lovers thing you've cooked up to get people to like her."

Sue shrugged, "If that's how you feel then I'm not going to force you to go through with it."

Gale arched his eyebrow in surprise, "Really?"

Sue nodded, "I have a feeling making you do anything you don't want to would end with disastrous results so I'm not even going to try." She beckoned for him to sit back down, "Now sit down, we still have a lot of work to do."

Gale sighed heavily and walked around the sofa before plopping himself back down in front of her.

* * *

><p>Quinn looked up from the book she had been immersed in for the past two hours when she heard her door open. She straightened up and smiled when she saw that it was Gale.<p>

"Hey you" she greeted, closing her book and putting it on her nightstand, "How was your session with Sue?"

He walked over to her and gave a little shrug, "Tiring" he sat down on the edge of her bed and looked over at her, "How was your session with Effie?"

Quinn shrugged and moved closer to him, "Alright, I guess. We finished in an hour so I really didn't have to suffer through much."

Gale nodded, "That's good. I probably won't be able to say the same."

Quinn chuckled, "Yeah, unfortunately."

Gale cracked a smile and looked over at her, "What do you think she's going to make me do?"

Quinn shrugged, smiling knowingly, "She'll probably make you do the same stuff she made me, you know walk around in heels…"

Gale pushed himself off the bed and chuckled, "Very funny."

She pushed herself off the bed too. "I'm being serious" she deadpanned.

Gale looked back at her and they exchanged a look before bursting into laughter together. "C'mon you, wouldn't want to keep Effie waiting" Quinn teased as she pressed her hands against Gale's back and began pushing him out the doorway.

Once they were both out in the hallway, Gale lingered in front of his door, "Yeah, well good luck with Sue. Hope you make it out alive."

Quinn playfully rolled her eyes, "You forget that she likes me. Well, at least more than she likes you."

Gale laughed, "Whatever gets you through the night, Quinn."

She lightly nudged him before walking down the hallway away from him, "Have fun with Effie!"

When Quinn entered the sitting room, Sue directed her to sit down on the sofa opposite her. Quinn did as she was told and looked at her expectantly, "So what's first?"

Sue looked at her closely, "We're going to figure out what angle we're going to play up in your interview," she paused for a moment, "Actually, scratch that. We know what angle we're going to play up, so your job is to just listen and do as I say."

Quinn looked at her a little skeptically but intended to hear her out nevertheless, "Okay."

Sue leaned forward in her seat and rested her arms on her knees, "Here's the deal. Thanks to your impressive entrance at the opening ceremonies and your top training scores, people are already intrigued by you and Gale. Thing is, people don't know who you are. During your interview, and I told the same thing to pretty boy, give answers that lead to more questions. Don't give Caesar a direct yes or a no. When he brings up your training score, don't bring up the fact that your skill is archery. Be mysterious. These people are going to want answers and they think that they'll be getting them tonight. And when they realize that's not going to happen, they'll want something answered in the arena."

"And they won't get those answers if we're both dead." Quinn finished.

Sue nodded, "Exactly. Which is why they'll be clamoring to sponsor you two. They don't want you two killed off before they get their answers."

Quinn nodded along, but could feel her nerves from earlier starting to come back. She really did _not_ want to do this interview. She hated talking in front of a large group of people, and could never handle doing presentations in front of the class for school. How on earth was she going to give a good interview knowing that the entire nation would be watching her?

"You okay, Q?" Sue's voice came, snapping Quinn out of her thoughts.

Quinn nodded, "Yeah."

Sue saw right through her, "What's wrong?"

Quinn sighed heavily and started fiddling with her hands, "I just…well I don't do well speaking publicly. I mean, I tend to get pretty shy even when talking to a few people."

"Well, you're going to have to fake it and act like you've been speaking publicly your whole life. We can't have you stuttering or going mute on stage. People aren't going to want to see that. They want to like you, in fact they already do. What you have to do is get them to _love_ you.

Quinn pursed her lips together timidly, "And I only have five minutes to do that so…no pressure."

Sue nodded, "Right so let's practice, the more prepared you are, the better you'll be. I'll ask you questions and just answer them, but keep in mind what I said earlier."

Quinn swallowed hard, knowing that it would probably take _weeks_ for her to be fully prepared to take on Caesar Flickerman. She just hoped she didn't end up embarrassing herself in front of all of Panem.

Quinn's Q&A session with Sue ended up being a lot more tiring than she had anticipated. When Sue finally dismissed her, Quinn didn't hesitate in heading back to her quarters to take a quick power nap before dinner. As she walked down the hallway, she heard the elevator doors open and instantly stopped. She backtracked a few steps and looked to see that it was Mercedes and Kurt. They both smiled upon noticing her and Quinn began walking over to them. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked, "I thought you weren't supposed to come over until tomorrow."

"We aren't but we wanted to show you and Gale our sketches for your interviews" Mercedes said enthusiastically while holding up her portfolio that contained their sketches.

Kurt looked around, "Where is Gale anyways?"

Quinn led them over to the couch. "I think he's still with Effie prepping."

"So you're done with your prepping already?" Mercedes asked as she handed over her portfolio to Quinn. She then took a seat next to Kurt on the couch while Quinn sat opposite them.

Quinn nodded and leaned against the back of the sofa while opening up the portfolio, "Yeah, I just finished with Sue."

Kurt made a face at the thought of spending four hours with Sue, "How did it go?"

"Did she make you cry?" Mercedes asked, "Cause she's been known to do that." Kurt nodded his head, affirming her statement.

Quinn looked up from their sketches and shook her head, "No. I know Sue comes off as intimidating-"

"_Very_ intimidating" Kurt corrected.

"But she's really not that bad" Quinn continued, "I mean, she's just trying to help us get through this whole thing and although her methods are a little unconventional and sometimes the things that come out of her mouth are simply bizarre, she's the only one we have who can teach us how to survive."

"So what did Effie and Sue say that you had to work on? Maybe we could help you out" Mercedes suggested.

"Well, they both think I'll do well during my interview. Effie says my posture is excellent and my ability to walk in heels is more than she could have ever hoped for" Quinn replied, chuckling slightly.

Kurt laughed, "That's because I taught you everything I know."

Mercedes looked over at her, "So do you know what your gonna say?"

Quinn nodded, her gaze drifting back down to Kurt's sketch, "Kind of. Sue basically told me to be vague with my answers so I figured I'd keep my answers short, but not too short, I don't want to sound like an idiot."

"Just be sure to speak with an extra raspy voice tomorrow" Kurt said.

Quinn looked back at him oddly, "Excuse me?"

"You've got a raspy voice." Kurt explained, "Really use it tomorrow."

Mercedes nodded in agreement, "It's sexy but adorable at the same time."

"It's _sexable_" Kurt said with a laugh, "Also, when talking, be sure to look up at Caesar through your eyelashes."

"How do I…?"

"And be sure to get some laughs in there, you've got a really cute laugh that people will surely fall in love with." Mercedes added.

Quinn chuckled, "Umm…okay?"

"Speaking of falling in love, we've got a message to deliver to you" Kurt said as he searched through his bag.

Quinn arched her eyebrow, "A message?"

Mercedes smiled knowingly. "We ran into Sam Evans on our way up here."

"And he asked us to give you this," Kurt handed Quinn a folded up piece of paper.

Quinn took it but looked at them suspiciously before opening it, "Did you two read it?"

Kurt and Mercedes both innocently shrugged.

Quinn just shook her head and opened up Sam's note. It read:

_Hey, Quinn. Just wanted to say Congratulations on getting an eleven! Whatever you showed the Gamemakers, just be sure to keep it up in the arena and you'll be home before you know it. As for your interview, don't worry, you'll be amazing as you always are. Just be yourself and remember to show off that beautiful smile of yours as much as you can and I guarantee you'll have the sponsors eating out of your hands. Really hope I get so see you tomorrow - Sam_

Quinn looked up from the note to see Mercedes and Kurt staring at her, both of them with huge smiles on their faces. Quinn rolled her eyes and chucked the pillow next to her at them, "Stop looking at me like that. I know what you're thinking so you can just stop. We are _just_ friends."

"But baby girl" Mercedes took the note out of her hands, "This just shows that he has more than friendship on the mind."

Quinn scoffed, "Uh, no it doesn't."

"He used words like _amazing_ and _beautiful_ when describing you" Kurt reminded.

"So? You two have used those words when talking to me and do either of you have more than friendship on your mind?"

"What?" Everyone turned around to see that Gale had just walked out of the hallway, now with a confused expression on his face after hearing that last part.

Kurt laughed nervously and discreetly tucked Sam's note in his blazer pocket, out of Gale's line of vision, "Oh nothing."

Gale just shook his head and walked over to them before joining Quinn on the couch.

"How did your session with Effie go?" Quinn asked.

Gale shrugged, "Alright. According to her, I have good posture and am good at making eye-contact, I just have to work on smiling." he said with a slight grimace.

Quinn had to stifle her laughter, "Good luck with that."

"She had me doing these facial exercises and I just got my face to stop twitching…I don't think I'll ever smile again."

"Well I think seeing your outfit for tomorrow will change that" Mercedes said as she handed him her portfolio.

"He's not Kurt, Mercedes" Quinn said with a laugh, "He doesn't get excited about clothes."

"It's not that much different from the suit I wore at the opening ceremonies" Gale commented, looking down at Mercedes' sketch.

"Yeah, we tried other colored suits but you just look so fly in a black suit that it would be a crime to make you wear something else. But I tailored it differently so it didn't look like exact same suit and the accents are different."

"Yeah, we wanted to work it around Quinn's dress" Kurt said, leaning forward and pointing to his sketch of Quinn's dress, which was purple. "We chose purple because it'll make your green eyes pop and it'll do wonders against your fair skin."

Mercedes nodded, "And we've covered it with jewels creating fire designs. So if you were to twirl around or something it will look like you've been engulfed in purple flames."

"To keep with your _Girl on Fire _theme."

"At least they aren't setting us on fire again" Gale said to Quinn, who just smiled.

"Okay, close your eyes" was the first thing Kurt said to Quinn when he entered her room, after the rest of her team had finished with her hair and makeup. She stood up upon seeing Kurt and noticed the garment bag in his hands, containing what she assumed what was her dress.

She reluctantly closed her eyes per his request, "I already know what the dress looks like Kurt, remember?"

"Yes, but I want you to get your first look of it now that you're all done up." Quinn shivered slightly as she felt Kurt slip the silken fabric over her skin. She then felt him take her hand as he helped her step into her shoes. Quinn waited patiently as she felt Kurt make some last minute adjustments, "Can I open my eyes?"

She felt Kurt abruptly turn her around and she lost her footing for a moment. "Sorry" she heard him say, "Okay, you can open your eyes."

Quinn opened her eyes to find her staring at herself in the full-length mirror. Wow is all she could think. Her skin shimmered like white sand, her hair glowed in an unearthly way but not in an overwhelming way, and her eyes sparkled like green gems. And her dress, she had thought it was impressive on paper but now, having it on her, it was absolutely stunning. "Kurt" she whispered in awe, "This is amazing!"

Kurt grinned, his gaze sweeping over her with confidence, "I know. I've outdone myself yet again" he laughed, "But now you have to twirl around to see the full effect."

Quinn did as he asked and Kurt all much screamed in admiration. "People are going to die" he said with a firm shake of his head, "Yep, I'm positive."

Quinn just laughed and started to walk around the room to get the feel of the heels and dress, which are both very manageable.

"We better get going," Kurt said, glancing over at the clock, "We don't want to be late."

Quinn's smile faded knowing that the moment she left her room, she would have only minutes until she was in front of all the cameras, in front of all Panem. She took a deep breath and exhaled before linking her arms with Kurt's and walking out of the room with him. If only she could take him on stage with her.

Quinn, Kurt, Effie, and Sue all waited by the elevator for Mercedes and Gale. Effie and Sue were both dressed up fro the occasion. They didn't wait long before Mercedes walked towards them, also dressed up, with Gale on her heels. "Hey, ya'll" she greeted before stepping aside and allowing everyone to get a good look at Gale. Quinn smiled at him as he moved to her side. He looked like his usual gorgeous yet daunting self, in his all black suit with the dark purple flames accented to coordinate with her dress. She looked up into his eyes and smiled, "You look amazing."

"I don't feel amazing" he muttered.

Mercedes rolled her eyes, "Oh stop grumbling, Gale!"

Quinn frowned, "What's wrong?"

"The suit's a little tight" he replied, shooting a glare at Mercedes.

"Too much cheesecake?" Kurt teased.

Mercedes scoffed and walked over to stand on the other side of Gale, "Hardly. The snugness is merely due to the fact that he's acquired some more muscle since the opening ceremonies so his measurements were a little off but he still looks fabulous. Just don't flex otherwise you might rip your suit" Mercedes said warningly, looking up at him.

Gale merely nodded a response. She abruptly squeezed one of his biceps and chuckled, "See? All muscle" she looked at Quinn, "Wanna feel?"

"I think she's done plenty of that" Kurt commented which just caused Quinn to blush.

"Okay, enough of this" Sue snapped and pushed the elevator button, "We don't have all day. You can ogle each other later."

* * *

><p>Once the elevator doors opened and revealed the first floor of the Training Center, everyone stepped out and headed outside of the building to the City Circle. Kurt and Mercedes wished Gale and Quinn good luck before heading towards a seating area specifically designed for the stylists. Effie and Sue did the same, quickly disappearing into the crowd, leaving Gale and Quinn alone.<p>

"This way" Gale muttered, nodding his head over to where most of the tributes were lined up near the side of the stage. Quinn moved in front of Gale, doing as the other tributes did, with the girl tribute preceding the boy.

They stood in silence for awhile, anticipating for the whole thing to start already and ignoring the searing glares they were receiving from the Careers. Quinn couldn't help but want to go first just go get her interview over and done with. But instead she was going to have to stand and listen to everyone act humble, fierce, charming, or whatever it is their angle was. It was going to be a long night.

"You look beautiful, by the way" Gale suddenly said from behind her.

Quinn turned around and smiled up at him, blushing slightly, "Thanks, you too."

Gale smirked, looking down at her through his long lashes, "You think I'm beautiful?"

Quinn nervously tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and nodded, "Well, yeah. I mean, you're not ugly."

Gale chuckled, "Okay, I'll take that compliment. Thanks."

"Hey, Quinn!" a voice called, directing Quinn's attention away from Gale. Gale turned his head and his jaw tightened when he saw Sam Evans walking towards them.

Quinn automatically smiled when she saw Sam, who looked quite dapper, and greeted him with a hug, "Hey, yourself. What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, shouldn't you be out in the audience by now?" Gale asked, his voice laced with venom as he watched the two embrace.

"Mentors have the option of watching from backstage" Sam replied, seemingly unbothered by Gale's hostility as he let go of Quinn. He looked back at Quinn and smiled, "So how you doing? Are you nervous?"

Quinn nodded, "A little…okay, a lot."

Sam chuckled, "Well, you definitely don't look it. You're definitely breathtaking. Here, something sweet to calm your nerves?" He held out his hand which had a few sugar cubes in it, "Sugar always helps me calm down."

Quinn laughed but politely declined, "No thanks, Sam". He shrugged and popped one in his mouth.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't trouty mouth."

All three of them turned around their heads to see Santana Lopez, wearing a skin tight red dress that stopped mid thigh, walking over to them.

Sam smirked, "Hey, Satan. I mean, _Santana_."

Santana rolled her eyes and flipped him off, "So clever, guppy lips. How do you stand it?"

She looked away from him and noticed Quinn and Gale before looking back at Sam, "What are you doing talking to these losers?"

"I'm friends with Quinn" Sam replied, his eyebrows furrowing slightly, "Is that a problem?"

"I'm just surprised to see you hanging out with this District 12 lowlife instead of prepping your poor tributes over there" Santana said, nodding her head over to District Four's young tributes near the front, who both looked absolutely terrified, "Although I can excuse talking to this one" she said, referring to Gale, "Damn, you are delicious." Gale just glared at her.

"I was just wishing Quinn good luck" Sam continued, causing Santana to tear her eyes off Gale.

Santana snorted, "Why?" she then smirked as she looked at Quinn, "Oh I get it, you want to get in her pants."

"Fuck off Santana" Sam spat, his usually calm blue eyes blazing.

Santana looked back at him, "What? You know I'm right. Not that I'm surprised, I mean you can't keep it in your pants for more than a few seconds."

Quinn looked at her incredulously, "Are you always such a bitch?"

Santana arched her eyebrow at Quinn's sudden comment, "What did you say to me?"

"You heard me" Quinn replied as she folded her arms across her chest, throwing a glare at Santana.

Santana stepped towards her, her eyes narrowed, "You better watch yourself blondie, otherwise I will see to it that you don't even make it to the arena."

Quinn wasn't phased by this threat, "Threaten me all you want, Santana, you _don't _scare me."

Santana was about to retaliate but was drowned out by the sound of the crowd suddenly going wild outside. "I take it Caesar's on stage now" Sam muttered, looking up at the numerous television screens above their heads to see that he was indeed right. Caesar Flickerman was up on stage, greeting the people of Panem with a theatrical smile. He started to tell a few jokes to crowd and Quinn suddenly felt like she was going to puke, even though she had a long way to go until it was her turn.

"We better get going and join the others" Sam said, looking over to Santana. She nodded in agreement and uncrossed her arms, "Yeah, let's go trouty mouth," she looked back at Gale and Quinn with a smirk, "Hope you two choke."

She turned on her heel and walked away, while Sam lingered. "Good luck, Q" he said again, with a warm smile, "You'll be great and if you get nervous just find me in the audience and pretend like you're just having a conversation with me. Maybe that will make it easier."

Quinn nodded, giving him a genuine smile, "Thanks, Sam." He flashed her a bright smile before turning around and following the path that Santana had taken.

Quinn watched him go until he disappeared out of sight before turning back around to face Gale.

He looked ticked off and Quinn wondered if it was because of Santana or because of Sam. She lightly touched his arm, causing him to look back at her. "Remember to smile," she said to him, "Otherwise Effie will have your neck." Gale snorted and just gave her his best brooding scowl.

Quinn laughed, "Fine, but when Effie comes after you, don't say I didn't warn you." Gale broke his scowl and smiled down at her.

* * *

><p>Tribute after tribute came and went, with Gale and Quinn restlessly watching the television above them as they waited. Before Quinn knew it, she was watching as Thresh finished up his interview with Caesar, indicating that she was next. She could feel her palms getting sweaty and her body starting to quiver. She then felt Gale's chest against her back causing her to jump a little. "Take it easy, Quinn" he whispered, his hands finding hers before interlocking their fingers, "You'll be fine."<p>

She leaned back into him, squeezing his hands as her anxiety grew, "What if I screw up, like really bad? What if I end up puking on stage? Oh god, that's what's going to happen, I just know it…" Gale abruptly spun her around so that she now faced him, "You trust me, right?"

Quinn nodded, "Y-Yeah."

He rubbed his hands up and down her arms in a soothing way, "Well trust me when I say that you are going to be just fine. It will be over before you know it, I promise. And if you feel like you just can't be on that stage for another second, just give the signal and I will get you off that stage in the blink of an eye, no questions asked."

She arched her eyebrow, "You'd do that for me?"

Gale nodded, "Yeah, without a doubt." She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his torso, holding onto him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and held her protectively.

She reluctantly let go of him when she heard the crowd giving Thresh a final round of applause, "But you know if you did that, the Gamemakers would probably have your head, right?"

Gale shrugged and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear for her, "I could care less about that. You're my priority, remember?"

Quinn was about to respond when one of the stage hands called her name to the stage. She swallowed hard, knowing that this was it.

"You'll be fine" Gale reassured as he walked her over to the side of the stage, her hand still firmly locked in his, "Just be yourself and I'll be right here if you need me."

Quinn nodded and reluctantly let go of his hand, "Okay." She took a deep breath before making her way on stage just as Caesar finished calling her name up. She focused all her attention on walking over to Caesar without falling on her face and figured it would be best if she didn't look at the crowd straight away. She politely shook Caesar's outstretched hand before he beckoned her to sit down across from him. She sat down and deeply exhaled, trying to calm her wildly beating heart.

Caesar crossed one leg over the other and flashed Quinn his pearly white teeth, "Quinn Fabray. The Girl on Fire. I've been looking forward to interviewing you my dear, as well as your district partner, Gale." A few women in the crowd swooned at the mention of Gale's name. "You two are the talk of the Games!" Caesar exclaimed, the crowd affirming his statement by erupting into cheers and applause.

Quinn nodded, giving a small smile, "Yes, well we definitely weren't expecting that. But I think it's safe to say that it's a lovely feeling knowing that so many wonderful people are so enthusiastic about us being here."

"Well, you definitely bring some much needed _fire _to the Games" Caesar said jovially, "Speaking of which, what did you think of your opening ceremonies' costume? Cause I know my heart, as well as almost everyone else's hearts stopped when we saw it. Right folks?" he looked at the crowd who nodded their heads in agreement.

Quinn chuckled, "Well, to be honest with you, I was a little scared of the dress. I mean, I really didn't want my big debut to result in my being burned alive."

Caesar laughed as well as the audience, "Of course not, who would?"

"But my stylist Kurt really did a fantastic job on the dress, it was one of the most gorgeous costumes I'd ever seen, just like this one, which is just as fabulous, don't you think?" She lifted up her skirt to spread it out, "It's breathtaking!"

"Stand and show everyone just how breathtaking!" Caesar prompted, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers encouraging her to do so.

Quinn felt her cheeks heat up, "Well, I think they can see it from here, Caesar" she ended up saying rather softly.

"Oh, no they can't!" Caesar exclaimed, "Please?"

Quinn looked at him before reluctantly standing up, her hands behind her back as she stared into the never-ending crowd. She took a deep breath before giving a little twirl, causing an immediate reaction from everyone. "Oh, do that again!" Caesar said. Quinn did as he asked, doing two more twirls before sitting back down, suddenly feeling like such an idiot. But clearly the audience was thinking something else because they had gone nuts cheering for her.

Caesar started shaking his head as he stared back at her, "My, aren't you just adorable?"

Quinn felt her cheeks start to redden again as she placed her hands in her lap, "Oh, you're too kind. But, I'm just…" she drifted off shyly, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as they felt.

"Adorable" Caesar finished before turning to the crowd, "Am I right?" The crowd cheered their agreement.

"So, Quinn, you got an e-le-ven during your private session. An _eleven_!" he exclaimed, "How on earth did you manage that. What ever did you do?"

Quinn smiled knowingly, "I'm afraid you'll have to wait until I'm in the arena to find that out, Caesar."

Caesar feigned disappointment before snapping his fingers, "Ooh, I know let's throw you in the arena, right now!"

Quinn laughed, "Oh no! Aren't you having fun here, Caesar?"

"But of course I am, Quinn!" he reassured, clasping her knee momentarily.

"If you say so Caesar," she replied in a way that made her seem like she didn't believe him. The crowd laughed at the expression on her face, at least she hoped that was what they were laughing at.

"Now, you are beautiful young lady," Caesar said seriously, "you've got to have a special someone, right?"

Quinn simply smiled all while shaking her head, "No, sir."

Caesar gasped, "But how could this be? A lovely young lady like yourself _single?_ Well, you must have all the boys back home begging for the privilege to be your boyfriend. I know here at the Capitol there are plenty who are more than willing…" The men in the crowd whooped and hollered which just caused Quinn to continue blushing. At this rate, her cheeks would be permanently red.

"You all are too sweet" she said to the crowd, "but I'm afraid that I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

"Let's go back then, to the moment they called your sister's name at the reaping," Caesar started, his mood quieting, "And you volunteered. Can you tell us about her?"

Quinn swallowed hard, the smile slowly fading from her face as the memories flooded back. "Well, um, she's my little sister. Her name's Frannie and she just turned twelve a few months ago."

Caesar nodded, "And did you have any doubt about volunteering when her name was called?"

Quinn shook her head, "No. Not once of doubt. It's always been my duty as a big sister to protect her and it was something I had to do. No questions about it."

"And how did you feel when your little brother's name was called for the male tribute?" Caesar prompted gently.

"Horrified" Quinn answered honestly, "I mean I couldn't of volunteered for him."

"I bet you're grateful that Gale stepped in when he did."

Quinn nodded, biting her lip to keep herself in check. Right now was not the time to start crying. "Yeah, I'm incredibly grateful," she croaked, "I don't know what I'd do if he hadn't."

Caesar cleared his throat, obviously touched, "Do you have any idea why Gale-"

Suddenly a buzzer went off, startling Quinn a little bit.

"Oh, darn" Caesar said with a sour look on his face. He sighed in exasperation, "We, my dear" he took her hand and kissed it, "As much as we all would like to just sit her and chat with you all day, your time is up." The crowd started a bit of protesting, after all it was just getting really good.

"Now, now, folks settle down" Caesar said charmingly, "This won't be the last you'll be seeing of this stunning creature," he turned to Quinn, "Right?"

Quinn nodded her head, "Of course not, Caesar."

They both stood up. Caesar smiled brightly, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Quinn Fabray!"

The crowd carried on their applause even after she left the stage. Quinn couldn't help but let out a huge sigh of relief once she was no longer in front of everyone.

"Good luck," she whispered to Gale, giving him a quick hug before Caesar called him up on stage.

She watched him walk onto the stage, the crowd erupting in applause as he made his way towards Caesar. She took a few steps back so that she could watch the interview on the television in front of her.

"Gale Hawthorne" Caesar said enthusiastically as Gale sat down across from him, "You certainly are the dapper young lad, aren't you?"

Gale looked at him, "I don't know, am I?" The crowd laughed even though Quinn was sure Gale hadn't meant to make a joke.

Caesar nodded, "I say you are," he turned to the crowd, "don't you all agree?"

Quinn watched as the cameras panned to the crowd, showing everyone screaming their agreement at Caesar's comment, especially the women. She couldn't help but chuckle as she took in a group of young Capitol girls who were fanning themselves repeatedly while they stared up at Gale as if he were some type of god.

"So how are you liking the Capitol so far, Gale? What are your thoughts?" Caesar questioned once the crowd calmed down.

"It's all very glamorous," Gale replied, "which is pretty much the polar opposite of Twelve."

Caesar nodded, "Speaking of District 12, I do believe that this is the first time in your District's history where they have had a volunteer let alone _two_ volunteers in a single Games."

Gale nodded, knowing where Caesar was going with this.

Caesar leaned forward, "Now my question, the question we have all been wondering is: What was the real reason why you volunteered for Quinn's little brother?"

The crowd had become eerily silent as they waited for Gale to response. Quinn kept her eyes on Gale, watching as he looked away from Caesar for a moment before finally answering him, "Because I know what it's like to lose someone you love. I didn't like the possibility of Quinn having to go through that so I volunteered."

"So you didn't volunteer because you had feelings for Quinn? Because that's the word that is going around: that you did."

Gale's gaze darkened, "I was simply trying to save an innocent kid from getting thrown into this monstrosity. That's it."

Caesar nodded, "But you and Quinn have grown close while here, haven't you?"

Gale nodded, "We've gone from being strangers to friends, so yes."

Caesar raised his eyebrow, "And nothing more?"

"As you've just witnessed, it would definitely be pretty hard for anyone to _not_ get feelings for her."

"So is that a yes or no?" Caesar asked.

Gale gave a slight shrug, "That's up to your interpretation."

"Interesting," Caesar mused, "So what was the first thing you ever said to Quinn?"

"That I would do everything in my power to make sure she goes home." Gale answered. There were _awes_ that echoed throughout the crowd.

"And this was after the reaping, yes?"

Gale nodded.

"So why would you say that to Quinn, who at the time, was just a stranger?"

Gale's jaw tightened before answering, "Because she has a family back home to take care of."

Caesar raised his eyebrows, "And you don't?"

Gale shook his head, "No. I don't have anyone." The crowd broke out into a murmur and even a few women had let out agonized cries.

Caesar smiled sadly, giving him a sympathetic sigh, "I'm sorry to hear that, Gale. Maybe-." The buzzer suddenly went off, stopping Caesar mid sentence. The audience began to cry out in protest, particularly the women, as Gale stood up to leave.

"Well, best of luck to you Gale," Caesar said, shaking Gale's hand one last time before Gale walked off stage.

Quinn took her eyes off the television screen, the nation anthem starting to play as Gale walked back over to her. "You did great," she said to him as he stopped in front of her. "Did I look like I really didn't want to be there?"

Quinn shook her head, "No."

"Then I'm a better actor than I thought" Gale said with a slight smirk.

She chuckled, "But you could've smiled more."

Gale playfully rolled his eyes, "Whatever. It's all over and done with, thank God."

Quinn nodded in agreement and started walking back towards the Training Center lobby as all the other tributes did. Suddenly Gale stopped though, causing Quinn to do the same and look back at him questionably, "What's wrong?"

"You go on ahead." he stated, "I have to use the restroom."

Quinn frowned, "But why don't you…?" she drifted off when she realized that Gale had already took off. She watched him go, wondering why he didn't just wait until they got to their floor to use the restroom.

She looked around and figured she'd wait for him, since she really didn't want to ride in the elevator with any of the other tributes. She scanned the area for Rue, hoping she would spot her and get the chance to talk to her, maybe ask her how her private session had went, but came up empty handed. She spotted Thresh waiting by the elevator but saw no sign of Rue.

Quinn watched as the last batch of tributes piled into the elevator before turning around to see if Gale was on his way back. When she didn't see him, she figured she would go look for him, since he was taking an awfully long time.

Worrying that something might have happened to Gale, Quinn quickened her pace as she walked down the corridor and sharply turned the corner to head toward the restrooms only to stop at the sight of Gale talking to…Rue.

Quinn arched her eyebrow in surprise and continued walking, "Hey guys."

Rue practically jumped at the sound of her voice and Gale sharply turned his head away from Rue, the two of them instantly shutting up at the sight of her. _Okay, something's up, she thought to herself. _

"Whatcha guys doing?" she asked, looking between the two of them.

Gale cleared his throat, "We just ran into each other."

"And I was wondering how you were doing so I asked Gale" Rue said quickly.

Gale nodded his head, affirming her statement, before looking back at Quinn, "So, what are you doing here? I thought you would be upstairs by now."

Quinn shook her head, "I waited for you, but then you were taking an awfully long time so I decided to check and make sure you were alright."

"Yeah, well I'm fine, let's go" Gale said rather quickly as he walked past her, leaving Quinn and Rue alone. Quinn watched him go, wondering what the heck was going on.

"I'm glad we ran into each other." Rue said softly, snapping Quinn's attention back onto her.

She smiled down at Rue, "Me too, we haven't had a chance to talk in a while."

"I've been meaning to talk to you," Rue said tentatively, "I'm sorry I never really got back to you on your whole alliance proposition."

Quinn shrugged, "It's okay. I knew you would need some time to think it over."

Rue nodded, "And I have. I've decided that I want to be your ally when we go in the arena."

"Really? I mean, that's great."

Rue smiled brightly and nodded, "Yeah."

"But why the sudden change of heart?" Quinn asked curiously, "Before you were so hesitant about teaming up."

Rue shrugged, "I just felt like it was the thing to do."

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><p><strong>AN: Not where I planned on stopping, so sorry if it just cuts off. I'll go into more detail about what exactly Rue and Gale were talking to each other about probably in the next chapter, and if not that one the next...<strong>

**I think in the next chapter, the Games will officially begin (in the arena)!**

**Soo...**

**Review! Please?**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Big Big thanks to those who reviewed! Keep 'em coming please! lol Just love 'em! So, read. enjoy. review!**

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><p>Dinner had come and gone far too quickly for Quinn. Kurt and Mercedes suggested that once they finished that they watch the recap of the interviews, but she was in no mood to watch everyone's interviews all over again. Instead, they ended up watching Sue's hunger games, which surprised everyone when she suggested it. Quinn would've thought that would've been the last thing she would want to watch. Clearly she was wrong.<p>

They were currently watching Sue's thirteen year old self strangle a boy twice her size to death all while fending off another tribute. Since no one in the room had been around at the time of Sue's games, this was the first time any of them had seen it. Both Kurt and Mercedes had covered each other's eyes in terror about twenty minutes in. Sue cackled loudly, her eyes glued to the screen, "Look at me, even in the heat of battle, I am so elegant, so regal. I am Ajax, mighty Greek warrior."

Next to her, Quinn could hear Gale snort. She glanced over at him and she could tell that he was probably as comfortable watching this as she was. Sue's games were pretty violent, probably one of the most violent games she had ever seen. Not exactly the thing she wanted to watch before being thrown into the arena. Unable to take another second of this, Quinn pushed herself off the couch and said her goodnights to everyone before leaving for her bedroom, eager to take a nice long shower. It was probably going to be one of the last ones she'll get until she's thrown in the arena tomorrow.

She stayed in the shower for at least a half hour before finally getting out, the bathroom filled with heavy steam. She picked up a large, fluffy towel off the rack and wrapped it around her body, shivering slightly as she walked towards the door. Once in her bedroom, she picked up the pajamas she had laid out for herself on her bed and dropped her towel. And the second she did that, a knock came to her door, causing her to jump in surprise. "Who is it?"

"Gale."

"Just a minute!" she said quickly, throwing her clothes on as fast as she could, before tossing her towel back into the bathroom. She walked over to the door and opened it, "Hey, I-"

Her brain turned to mush right on the spot as she took in Gale before her, who was only wearing a towel. Since he was much taller than she was, her line of vision was directly aimed at his beautifully muscled torso. She blinked and quickly averted her gaze, looking anywhere but at him.

"I decided to take a shower too," he started to explain, the embarrassment evident in his voice, "and when I got out, I remembered that my clothes were…"

"Here." she finished, her cheeks now really warm, "Well, just…" She stepped aside and beckoned him inside.

Her gaze dropped down to her toes as he passed her and she made sure to keep her gaze there as she closed the door behind him.

Quinn made sure her back was to him and kept her gaze on the wall in front of her. She heard him start to shuffle around in the drawers, "I'm really sorry about this."

She swallowed hard and nodded, not daring to look over her shoulder, "It's okay."

She patiently waited, chuckling slightly when she heard Gale starting to grumble about how this was all Effie's fault. "Okay, I'm decent now."

She finally exhaled and turned around to see Gale in his usual sleep attire that consisted of a white wife beater and dark blue pajama bottoms. "I'm really sorry about this," he started again as she walked back over to him.

"It's okay," she reassured, taking his towel from him and hanging it up in the bathroom, "It wasn't your fault." When she reentered the bedroom, she found Gale already pulling back the covers of the bed. She wordlessly climbed into bed and he did the same before turning off the lights. No awkwardness whatsoever.

Gale exhaled and whispered, "Goodnight, Quinn."

She closed her eyes and whispered goodnight to him, before burying her face into her pillow and relaxing her body. It took her about five seconds to realize that she wasn't going to fall asleep right away. She kept telling herself that she needed to sleep because this time tomorrow, she would be in the arena, in an environment that she was sure wouldn't have a king sized bed or goose feather pillows just lying around.

Her mind started to wander and she couldn't help but try and imagine exactly what kind of terrain she was going to be thrown in. Would it be a desert? Swamp? A frigid wasteland? A tropical jungle? She tried to shake her head of all thoughts and focus on sleep but she found that the more anxious she was to find sleep, the more it eluded her.

She couldn't stop thinking about the horrors she was sure to see in that arena. All the blood, all the screaming, the malevolent laughs from the Careers as they slaughtered innocent children. She could see it all flash before her eyes like a sick slideshow and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

"You're trembling." Gale's voice came softly, pulling her away from her thoughts. Thank God.

"Sorry." she whispered, instantly shimmying away from him, figuring that he wasn't able to sleep because of her. But the second she moved away from him, his arm wrapped around her and pulled her back to him, holding her against him in a protective embrace. "It's okay," he reassured quietly, resting his chin against her head, "I've got you. You're safe."

He started to rub her arm in soothing circles that usually would've worked in calming her, but tonight it wasn't enough. She sighed heavily and shook her head, "That's not really helping."

He stopped his motions and she felt him lift his head off his pillow, "Then tell me what will."

She swallowed hard, feeling tears well up in her eyes, despite doing everything to ensure that didn't happen, "Take me back home." she croaked.

She felt his grip on her tighten and his right hand found hers, "You'll be back home soon enough, Quinn. I promise."

Even though she knew Gale's intention, that comment didn't make her feel any better. If anything it made her feel worse because she knew her coming home would mean losing him in the arena. She stared at their interlocked fingers for the longest time.

"Gale?"

"Yeah?"

She turned around so that she faced him and looked up into his eyes, "What are we doing here, Gale?"

His eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

She took his hand back in hers and held up their interlocked hands, "This. What is this?"

His gaze hardened but he didn't answer her.

She pursed her lips together, "I want to know what this" she shook their interlocked hands, "means to you."

Gale pushed himself into an upright position, "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" he asked rather sharply.

Quinn sat up as well, "We are hours away from getting thrown in that arena and I would just like to know exactly what the heck is this thing we have."

"It's friendship."

"Is it just that? Cause, everyone seems to think that there's something more between us."

He arched his eyebrow, "_Everyone?"_

"Well, Kurt and Mercedes definitely do, and obvious Caesar, and I think Sam does too, because he asked me if you were my boyfriend. I mean, even Rue thinks so!"

Gale snorted, "She's only twelve, what does she know."

"You said it yourself that she's a smart girl," she sighed, "Look, can you honestly tell me that what we have is _just_ friendship?"

He gruffly kicked the covers away and got out of bed, "I don't want to talk about this."

She slid out of bed, "We can't not talk about it, Gale. We've gone too long not questioning this already."

"Why the hell do we have to bring this up now? Tomorrow we go in the arena, if you haven't already forgotten!"

"That is the reason why I'm bringing all this up? Only one of us is going to survive this thing and if one of us gets killed off tomorrow, I would…I just…" she trailed off.

"What?" he snapped.

She huffed in frustration, "Do you have feelings for me or not? There I said it. Now answer."

She looked at him expectantly, and when he didn't answer her question, she threw her hands up, "Why can't you just answer me? It's a simple yes or no question!"

Gale's eyes darkened, "There is nothing simple about this whole thing and you know it."

"Just talk to me, Gale. Tell me what's going on in that head of yours. For once!" she pleaded, watching as he furiously paced the room.

He stopped briefly and looked at her, "What would it matter if I had feelings for you or not?"

"It matters to me, Gale! I want to know."

His eyes narrowed, "Are you sure about that?"

She frowned, "If the answer is _no_, I can handle it, Gale! I'm not a little girl who can't handle rejection."

"God dammit, Quinn" Gale swore, pulling the hairs at the nape of his neck and fighting the urge to destroy something, "Would you just drop this? I don't want to spend our last night together fighting."

She scoffed, "We wouldn't be fighting if you would just answer me!"

"You don't want to hear my answer" he replied, turning away from her.

"Then it is no!"

His head turned back towards her, "I never said that."

Quinn grabbed one of her pillows off the bed and chucked it at his head, "Stop playing games with me Gale Hawthorne and just tell me!" He dodged the pillow and picked it off the ground before tossing it back onto the bed.

"I know better than to admit my feelings for you" he said quietly, his eyes piercing hers.

She swallowed hard, "So you do have feelings."

He fought the urge to roll his eyes, "Well I'm not a machine, Quinn".

She folded her arms across her chest and glared up at him, "Not what I meant and you know it".

"Look, I'm not going to answer your stupid question, so you're just wasting your breath." he said through gritted teeth.

"My question is not stupid!" she all but yelled, "What's stupid is the way you're acting!"

Just then Quinn's door opened, causing her and Gale to turn their heads.

Mercedes stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips, "What the heck is going on in here?"

"Nothing" Quinn and Gale both spat, throwing heated glares the other's way.

Mercedes stepped forward, "I wouldn't be surprised if you two woke up the entire tower! Now someone's going so explain to mama Mercedes what the hell is going on. Right now." She looked back and forth between the two of them, demanding an answer.

"You two can go ahead and have some girl talk." Gale said as he stalked past Mercedes, "I'm done talking for the night."

The two girls watched him go. When he was out of sight, Mercedes looked back at Quinn, her eyebrow arched, "Now what was that all about?"

Quinn sighed heavily and shook her head, fighting tears, "I wish I knew."

Mercedes bit her lip, "Okay, here's the deal, you try and get some sleep, I'm gonna go talk to Gale."

"I doubt you'll get anywhere with him" Quinn mumbled under her breath.

Mercedes just smirked, "I wouldn't underestimate Mercedes Jones, baby girl." she walked over to her and pulled her into a hug, "now you get into that bed and try to get some sleep, okay? You'll regret it if you don't. I'll go deal with Gale."

Quinn sighed and reluctantly climbed back into her bed. Once she got comfortable, she looked back at Mercedes, "You promise to tell me everything you two talk about?"

Mercedes chuckled, "I can't promise that, baby girl. I don't know what he's going to say or if he's even going to say anything to me."

Quinn propped her head up with her hand and sighed, "True, but I just…I just want to know what's going on with him. He won't talk to me."

Mercedes stood in the doorway and looked back at her, "Whatever he's keeping from you, he probably has a real good reason for doing it."

* * *

><p>After saying goodnight to Quinn, Mercedes walked down the hallway and searched every room for Gale, but came up empty handed. She stopped and noticed the door leading up to the rooftop on her right so she decided to take a chance and see if he was up there.<p>

The roof wasn't lit at night but as soon as Mercedes climbed up the last steps, she immediately saw Gale's silhouette near the railing. She wordlessly walked up to him, her heels clicking with every step she took. She moved beside him and rested her arms against the railing, staring out at the Capital, which, despite the hour, was still bustling as everyone drank and partied in celebration of the official start of the Games tomorrow.

"So…are you going to tell me what's going on?" she asked after awhile of silence.

"It's really none of your business."

She looked back at him, "Quinn is my friend and when someone makes my friend cry, I intend to get to the bottom of it."

He huffed in frustration, "I told you, I'm done talking. Now would you just leave me alone, Mercedes?"

Mercedes shook her head and turned around, resting her back against the railing, "I'm not going anywhere, Gale, so you might as well tell me what's going on."

He snorted, his eyes finally meeting hers, "Why should I?"

"Because it's incredibly obvious that you need to talk to someone and since you refuse to talk to Quinn…you might as well talk to me."

Gale remained silent, his gaze drifting away from hers.

"Why wouldn't you answer Quinn's question?"

"You know you shouldn't eavesdrop" Gale muttered.

Mercedes scoffed, "Well if you two hadn't been screaming at each other like you had, I probably wouldn't. Now enlighten me, what was so difficult about giving her an answer?"

"I don't want her going into that arena thinking about my feelings for her. She needs to focus on staying alive. If I would've answered her, she wouldn't have been able to think about anything else."

"But she deserves to know how you truly feel about her! Especially before you two get thrown in the arena and possibly get killed."

Gale shook his head and walked over to the garden, "I wouldn't be doing her any favors by admitting my feelings so why bring it up?"

Mercedes followed him, "But Gale-"

"We can't be together!" he yelled, kicking over a nearby potted plant, "Don't you get that? Either she loses me or I lose her, or we both end up dying in that arena. Bottom line: We will never be together."

Mercedes bit her lip before letting out a low sigh, this whole thing was a lot more heartbreaking than she had realized. She moved closer to Gale and touched his shoulder, slowly taking her hand away when he tensed up. He finally looked at her and she could see the pain in his grey eyes.

"You really love her, don't you?"

He nodded his head ever so slightly, "Unconditionally".

Mercedes sat down on the small bench in front of them and beckoned him to join her, "When did you know?"

Gale reluctantly sat down, "I was fourteen and one day I had fallen asleep in one of the trees in the woods. When I woke up, the first thing I heard was singing."

"_Singing?_"Mercedes repeated.

Gale nodded, "It was soft but clear and very beautiful. I thought I was dreaming at first," he said with a laugh, "I didn't think it was real. I didn't think something like that _could_ be real. But then I looked around and saw Quinn walking towards me, like some kind of…"

"Angel?" Mercedes finished.

Gale looked back at her and smiled, "Exactly."

"And you just knew? Right then and there?"

"When I was younger and my father was still around, we spent a lot of time together. He taught me every thing I know about hunting. One day, while we were working on snares, I asked him how he knew that my mother was _the one_."

Mercedes chuckled, "And?"

Gale stared up at the sky momentarily, "He said that he just saw her and something just clicked. It wasn't something he could really explain well. He said it was a sense, a strange feeling that something shifted. He just knew it was right. That she was right."

Mercedes smiled, "So I take it that was the same deal when you saw Quinn."

Gale nodded, "Pretty much."

"So then what happened?"

He shrugged, "I made sure nothing happened to her while she hunted. I fixed her snares when she wasn't looking to ensure that she always caught some game. It wasn't long before we finally interacted. She had hurt herself while hunting," he explained, "And she was trying to catch some damn turkey with a sprained ankle and I couldn't just stand by and watch…so I carried her home and later captured the turkey for her and her family."

Mercedes sighed, "That's really sweet."

Gale pushed himself off the bench and glanced over the Capital, "They're still partying." he said with a shake of his head.

Mercedes chuckled and stood up as well, checking her watch, "Yeah, even at this hour." she looked back at him, "You should really get to bed. You need to sleep."

Gale nodded, "Yeah, you're probably right."

They both started walking back towards the stairs.

"You gonna go back to Quinn?"

Gale sighed and shook his head, "I don't think I would be welcome. Besides, it would be better this way. We need to start getting used to being apart from each other."

"Thank you for talking to me, Gale" Mercedes said softly as they walked down the stairs together, "I know it wasn't easy."

He shrugged a response before heading off to his bedroom, "Thanks for listening, Mercedes."

* * *

><p>As she walked to breakfast, Quinn expected everyone to be at the table, but when she got there, only Sue and Kurt were there waiting for her. Kurt must've noticed the confusion on her face because he quickly explained to her that she wouldn't be seeing Gale until they were in the arena together. She knew she should've gone after him once he had left.<p>

She reluctantly sat down at the table, despite the fact that she had no appetite whatsoever. She practically had to force her food down, knowing that she would later kick herself if she went into that arena on an empty stomach.

"You ready, Quinn?" Kurt asked when they had all finished breakfast. Quinn wordlessly nodded, tossing her napkin on the table and standing up. She was as ready as she ever was going to be. "You go on ahead, Porcelain," Sue said suddenly, surprising Quinn and Kurt, "I want to talk to Q for a minute."

Kurt nodded and headed out, leaving just Sue and Quinn together.

"What do you want to talk about?" Quinn asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Let's walk and talk," Sue suggested, walking out of the dining room with Quinn on her heels.

"You know Q," Sue looked her up and down, "when I first laid eyes on you, I was reminded of a young Sue Sylvester, though you don't have my bone structure."

Quinn couldn't help but chuckle, because in a way, it was a compliment.

"Even though I didn't show it at first," she continued, "I've always respected you."

Quinn arched her eyebrow as they walked towards the roof staircase, "You have?"

Sue nodded, "We're more alike than you think."

Quinn frowned, "How so?"

"Let's just say that you're not the only one who ever volunteered for someone they cared about." she said hollowly.

Quinn stopped, "You mean…?"

Sue nodded and touched her shoulder, urging her to keep walking, "Yep. I volunteered for my sister too."

"But you were a Career, wouldn't you have volunteered regardless?"

"I may have trained for the Games but I never intended on volunteering." Sue said with a shake of her head as they headed towards the roof, " I had my sister, Jean, to look after. She needed me. She was more important to me than anything in the whole world. She had down syndrome. She was a few years older than I was, but when her name was called, I wasn't about to let her go in that arena. She would've been killed for sure".

Quinn squinted her eyes as they walked onto the roof, where the sun was out, "I never knew that." Quinn had always known Sue as one of the more ruthless tributes in the history of the Games, but never once had heard anything about her volunteering for her sister.

"Well, now you know." Sue said as they walked towards the center of the rooftop, where an impending hovercraft would come and pick her up at any moment.

Sue stopped when they reached the center and looked down at her, "I always known that you were capable of winning this thing, Q. And that is a rare thing for me to say. You can do this" she reassured, grasping both her shoulders firmly.

Quinn looked up as the hovercraft seemingly appeared out of nowhere and dropped a ladder down. "Here's my last piece of advise for you, Q." Sue said, bringing Quinn's attention back to her, "Don't waste time at the Cornucopia, get the hell out of there fast. And find water. That's your main goal. You'll be a goner without it. And never let _anything_ distract you from winning. Ever."

Quinn couldn't help but wonder if she was referring to Gale.

She swallowed hard and nodded, "Got it."

Sue nodded and then abruptly pulled her into a quick hug, "Try not to die" was what she said before pushing her away as quickly as she had pulled her in.

Quinn nodded, trying hard not to cry, "Thanks, Sue."

Sue looked around, her eyes narrowed, "This never happened." she spat, "And if you tell someone, I'll deny it".

Quinn couldn't help but smile as she climbed onto the ladder, immediately glued to the thing as she was lifted safely inside.

* * *

><p>Once she was in the confines of the hovercraft, a fair woman walked over to Quinn, a syringe in her hand. Panic instantly rushed through her body and she tried to pull herself away from the ladder but she was securely locked in place. She couldn't move for the life of her. "Don't worry, Quinn Fabray," the woman started, holding the syringe out in front of Quinn and prodding the needle deep into the underside of her right forearm, making Quinn blanche at the sight of it, "This is just your tracker. All the tributes have one."<p>

Quinn helplessly watched and felt a small chip lodge itself into her flesh, making her nauseous grow. She really hoped that it would go away before she ended up throwing up her breakfast right then and there.

The ride to the arena didn't take long and before she knew it, she was being lead by Peacekeepers through the catacombs beneath the arena. They direct her into one of the Launch rooms and she couldn't help but sigh in relief at the sight of Kurt there, waiting for her. She immediately pulled him into a hug, holding onto him for dear life. They stayed like that for quite sometime until Kurt reminded her that she still had to get dressed.

Apparently he had no say in the design of her outfit and the dismay clearly showed on his face as he handed her various articles of clothing. The last thing she put on was a black hooded jacket that fell to her thighs. "The material is designed to reflect your body heat." he explained as he adjusted it for her, "Expect some cool nights."

Quinn nodded and looked down at her outfit. She noticed something gold peeking out from her collar and she automatically recognized it as her mocking jay pin. She never thought she'd see it again.

Kurt noticed her staring, "It barely cleared, but they eventually let it through. I credit my incredible charm."

He stepped back and looked her up and down, "There all set. Do you feel comfortable?"

She moved around and nodded, "Yeah."

Kurt arched his eyebrow, "Are you sure?"

Quinn looked at him, "What do you mean?"

Kurt folded his arms across his chest, "Well, aren't you going to stretch?"

"Huh?"

Kurt fought the urge to roll his eyes, "You are about to run for your life, don't you think that a little stretching would be wise? Personally, I like to think of my body like a rum chocolate soufflé. If I don't warm it up right, it doesn't rise."

Quinn couldn't help but laugh as she started to stretch out her legs a little.

"Oh, I almost forgot!"

Quinn looked up to see him furiously searching his pockets, "I have something for you."

Quinn arched her eyebrow, "For me?"

Kurt nodded and handed her a slip of paper, "Gale gave this to Mercedes to give to me to give to you."

Her heart fluttered a little just at the mention of Gale, "Really?"

She opened the note:

_Quinn, just know that whatever I do in the arena, it's only to protect you, to ensure that you go home. -Gale_

Quinn practically jumped when a woman's voice filled the room, announcing that it was time to prepare to launch.

"Oh god" Kurt whispered, "Oh god, oh god, oh god…"

Quinn tucked Gale's note into her pocket with shaky hands, her heart now rapidly pounding against her chest.

Kurt abruptly wrapped his arms back around her, tears silently streaming down his face. Quinn bit her lip to keep from crying and automatically embraced him. "God, you're trembling so much," he whispered against her shoulder, holding her tighter, "Mercedes told me to wish you good luck and give you the biggest hug in the world" he said through sniffles before squeezing her so tightly she thought her eyes would bug out.

Quinn smiled weakly, her body now uncontrollably shaking, "Thanks".

Kurt pulled away from her and hastily wiped away his tears, "You're going to be fine, Quinn. I know you will. Y-You're going to win this thing. I'd bet my life on it".

Quinn exhaled deeply, "Thank you, Kurt."

Kurt kissed her cheek, "Good luck, Girl on Fire."

Quinn reluctantly walked away from Kurt and onto the launch pad. A glass cylinder lowered all around he, trapping her. She hastily blinked away her tears knowing that cloudy vision was not was she needed right now. She took labored breaths, trying to quell her shaking as the metal plate pushed her out of the cylinder, into open air.

It takes her a split second for her eyes to adjust to the suddenly blinding sunlight in which she takes time to inhale and recognize the oh so familiar scent of pine trees. She swallowed hard when the voice of Claudius Templesmith's, the Games' legendary announcer, voice boomed all around her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin!"

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><p><strong>AN: You know you want to find out what happens next! lol, (although you probably have an idea of what will happen, haha). So, review, pretty please?<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Big Big thanks to those who reviewed as always! Especially to Tessie, whose reviews I always get a kick out of because I can just feel your enthusiasm through them, which is just awesome. lol So thank you all again! Anyways, read. enjoy. review!**

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><p>Sixty seconds. That was how long everyone was required to stand on the metal circles before the sound of a gong released them. Quinn's heart pounded against her chest more rapidly once Claudius Templesmith's voice disappeared and was immediately replaced with an offsetting ticking noise, counting down the sixty seconds. She looked out in front of her, taking in the Cornucopia, and quickly evaluated where everything was. The items closer to her seemed to be of little value, while the more important items were farther away, near the mouth of the horn.<p>

She took her eyes off the Cornucopia and glanced around at the other tributes spread out in circle around her. She spotted Rue instantly, who was only two tributes away from her. Quinn scanned down the line of tributes, looking for Gale, but the sunlight was so bright, it eclipsed some of the farther tributes from her view. Her eyes darted back to the Cornucopia and her heart nearly leapt out of her chest at the sight before her. A silver bow and a quiver of arrows. They were sitting atop a pile of blankets, the sun's rays beating down on their metallic surface, illuminating them. They were practically calling her name. They were meant for her, she just knew they were. She glanced away from them and noticed Rue staring at her, shaking her head, as if to say, "Don't do it."

Quinn sucked in a sharp breath, looking everywhere but at the bow and arrows. Rue was right. It would be far too risky to go after them. The Careers were much closer to them than she was and if she went for them, they would kill her for sure. But then again, she was pretty fast. She could do it. She could grab that bow and those arrows before the Careers even knew what hit them. Unfortunately for her, she had been to busy dwelling on whether or not to grab the bow and arrows to realize that the gong had already rang out.

She swore under her breath and broke out into a sprint, aiming to retrieve a bright orange backpack some twenty yards away from her. She obtained it without a struggle and her feet shuffled for a moment as her brain tried to figure out its next move. It was absolute chaos around her, with everything happening so fast it made her head spin. Kids were dropping like flies left and right as their fellow tributes hacked at them. She tried looking for any signs of Gale or Rue, but all thoughts of them were lost when she realized that the girl from District 2, Clove, was heading straight towards her, carrying at least half a dozen knives.

Quinn quickly slung the backpack over her shoulder and ran full-speed for the woods, not bothering to look back. She could hear one of the blades whistling toward her and she reflexively hiked up the pack to protect her head. She kept running though, pushing her legs as hard as they would go until she was deep in the woods and sure that Clove was no longer chasing her. She continued with a steady jog for a while, before alternating between walking and jogging to put as much distance between herself and the others.

She went on like that for the next few hours, only pausing to check for pursuers. As she walked, she started to wonder if Rue had made it through the bloodbath. Even though they had agreed on an alliance, they didn't really have a set plan. (Not that they had time to make one anyways) And if they did, they had long abandoned it. But she had a feeling that Rue did make it out. The girl was quick and could've easily gotten out of there unnoticed. Her thoughts then drifted to Gale, who she was positive was okay. If anyone made it out of there alive, it would be him. Despite knowing that, she couldn't help but feel worried that he may have been badly injured.

It was late afternoon when she started to hear the cannons. Each shot represented a dead tribute. The fighting must've finally stopped at the Cornucopia. The bodies were never collected until the killers dispersed. She paused for a moment to catch her breath and count the shots. One…two…three…they continued on and on until they finally stopped at eleven. Nearly half the competition wiped out in the first day. She wiped the sweat off her brow and shrugged off her backpack before resting against a tree trunk. She allowed herself to slump to the ground and figured this was the time to see what she had inside.

She pulled the pack onto her lap and immediately noticed that the knife Clove had thrown at her was deeply lodged in it. She pulled it out and examined the blade. It was long and sharp, the perfect tool for sawing through things. She put it down beside her and unzipped the backpack, which she was going to have to camouflage in some way since the orange color practically glowed in the dark. She dug around in the bag and pulled out the provisions one by one. A sleeping bag that reflected body heat. A pack of crackers. A pack of dried beef strips. Some wire. A bottle of iodine. A box of matches. A pair of sunglasses. And a half-gallon plastic bottle of water. She shook the bottle a little and her heart sank when she realized that it was empty. The thing she needed most and she didn't have an ounce of it. She huffed in frustration as she put everything back in her bag. Would it have killed them to fill the bottle?

She pushed herself off the ground and took in her surroundings. The woods were eerily similar to the ones back home. But who knew what kind of things lurked in these woods. She dusted herself off before she started to walk again, knowing that she had to find water soon. She knew that there was a lake- she had seen it back at the Cornucopia, but to make it back there would take her another day, and even if she did make it there, (which would be a miracle considering she didn't have an ounce of water to tide her over) there was no doubt that the Careers would be lurking near by.

Needing to keep her thoughts away from water, she instead focused on finding a suitable place to make up camp since nightfall was close. After searching for a while, she settled on a willow tree that was set in a clump of other willows, offering much needed concealment. Before she climbed the tree, she set up a snare using the wire from her pack. She had just settled in the tree when she heard the Capitol's anthem, which proceeded the death recap. She leaned back against the tree and stared up at the night sky, the seal of the Capitol peeking through the branches before showing the headshots of the fallen tributes. She counted the eleven off using her fingers, not surprised that the Careers from one and two made it out alive. Neither Rue nor Gale's face showed up, indicating that they were both alive. Thank God.

* * *

><p>Two days had passed and Quinn was starting to feel the full effects of dehydration. She still hadn't found a source of water. The closest things she found were blueberries, but they turned out to be something else, something she couldn't identify for the life of her. Despite her burning thirst, she dropped the berries and forced herself to carry on. Her mother always told her that if she wasn't a hundred percent sure that a berry was non-toxic to not eat it.<p>

It was becoming harder and harder to walk as time went on and Quinn could just feel her body shutting down on her. Her legs were like twigs and were unable to support the weight of the rest of her body. She stumbled repeatedly but managed to pick herself up every time. She swore under her breath as she tripped over a hidden root and fell back on the ground once again. This time, though, there was mud. She looked down at the mud beneath her and with trembling hands, tried to push herself back up. She straightened up and rested on her knees, unable to stand back up. She wiped her hands on her pants and it took her several minutes before realizing that where mud was, water had to be somewhere nearby.

She proceeded to crawl through the mud, then through a tangle of plants before finally coming across a beautiful pond. It took everything in her being not to dunk her face into the water and gulp down as much as she could take. She shrugged off her backpack and shakily rummaged through it before pulling out the empty water bottle and iodine. She filled the water bottle and added what she hoped was the right number of drops of iodine to purify it. She was going to have to wait a half hour for it to be ready. She waited and waited and when she was sure, or about sure, that the half hour was over, she swallowed some water. She made herself wait a few moments before taking another sip. As she lowered her water bottle, she heard a nearby twig snap and in one swift movement, she had her knife out, ready to face whoever it was.

Her eyes narrowed for a moment, since she was still somewhat dehydrated, "Rue?"

"Quinn!"

It was most definitely Rue. Quinn made a movement to get up but before she knew it, she was tackled into the mud, brown curls in her face, Rue's small body hugging hers. Quinn laughed and wrapped her arms around Rue's waist before pushing herself into a sitting position, Rue now in her lap. "What a greeting."

Rue smiled up at her, "Just glad to see you again."

Quinn hugged her again, "Same here."

She let go of Rue and she rolled off Quinn's lap. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Quinn nodded, "A little dehydrated, but I'm fine now." she nodded her head over towards the pond. "What about you?"

Rue nodded, "I'm fine. I haven't run into anybody yet."

That answered Quinn's question on whether or not she had run into Gale.

She took another sip from her water bottle, "Me either. Do you want some?" she held out her bottle to Rue.

Rue shook her head, her curls bouncing as she did so, "No thanks. I'm good."

Quinn reached behind her and filled up her bottle again, adding some iodine before stuffing the bottle back in her backpack.

"So now that we've found each other, what happens next?" Rue inquired, standing up as Quinn did.

Quinn shrugged, "I'm not really sure. I…" she drifted off as the smell of smoke suddenly filled her nose. She looked down at Rue, "Do you smell that?"

Rue nodded, her eyes wide, as she pointed behind Quinn. Quinn turned around to see the trees nearby ablaze. She didn't hesitate in grabbing Rue's hand, picking up her pack with the other before breaking into a sprint, bolting away from the flames.

"Quinn!"

She skidded to a halt, Rue's voice making her realize that the wall of flames had spread out around them, blocking the way they were running to. "Come on, this way!" she called, leading Rue east. The world had transformed to flame and smoke. Burning branches cracked from the trees and fell in showers of sparks as their feet.

Both of them were coughing sporadically as smoke filled their lungs, cutting off their oxygen. Quinn noticed a break in the wall of flames and directed Rue to make her way towards it. The audience must have been incredibly bored after two days of no killings, which was probably why this inferno suddenly popped out of nowhere. This had Gamemakers written all over it. Just as they about reach a possible haven, Quinn stopped at the sight of a fireball whizzing towards them. She quickly tackled Rue to the ground, the fireball whizzing over their heads and blasting into a nearby rock. They quickly picked themselves onto their feet and continued running.

Much to Quinn's dismay, the fireballs kept coming. One caught her off guard and skidded across her right calf, engulfing it in flames. She quickly dropped down to the ground, twisting back and forth to rid herself of the flames. Smoke was everywhere but she managed to spot a boulder nearby and ordered Rue to get behind it. They both rested their backs against it as Quinn fumbled to get her water bottle out of her pack, wheezing from the smoke that now filled her lungs. She quickly popped off the cap before handing it to Rue. She graciously took a sip before handing it back to Quinn, who did the same. As she put her bottle away, she noticed that Rue started retching, her body convulsing, trying to rid itself of the poisons she had been sucking in through the attack. Quinn leaned over her and pulled her hair back to keep it out of her face.

When Rue finally stopped, Quinn glanced out from behind the boulder to try and see where they could possibly escape to next. It took her a few seconds before she realized that the fireballs had ceased. Evidently the Gamemakers didn't want to kill them. Yet. Quinn pushed herself off the ground, gritting her teeth as her calf screamed in pain and reached out for the boulder for support. She looked down at her calf and nearly fainted at the sight of it. The flesh was a vibrant red covered with blisters. The burned area was about the size of her hand. Quinn looked away from it, her stomach now very queasy, and noticed that the smoke was slowly clearing around them.

"Can you walk?" Rue's worried voice came.

Quinn looked back at her and pushed herself off the rock, careful not to put pressure on her right leg, "Yeah. Let's keep moving." Rue nodded and helped her along as best she could.

They walked for about twenty minutes before Rue spotted a small spring of water. Quinn plopped down beside it and gingerly stretched out her leg into the pool, propping the heel of her boot on a rock so the leather didn't get too sodden. "I wish I had something to help you," Rue said softly as she filled up her bottle with water, "that looks like it really hurts."

Quinn shook her head and lifted her leg from the water, only to slide it back in due to the immense pain. "Nah, not really."

Rue chuckled and started to rifle through her backpack.

"So what did you end up with?" Quinn asked curiously, looking at her small green pack.

"Not much," Rue replied, rather embarrassedly, "Just a slingshot, a pair of socks, a water bottle, and a sharp rock that I use as a knife. I had to get away from the Cornucopia fast. Here, eat these," she handed Quinn some berries.

Quinn looked at the unfamiliar berry and rolled in between her fingers unsurely, "Are you sure this is okay to eat?"

Rue nodded and popped some in her mouth, "Yeah, we have them back home. I've been eating them for days."

They ate the rest of Rue's berries in silence before drowsiness began to take over. Quinn yawned and reluctantly pulled her leg out of the water, "So where do you sleep? In the trees?"

Rue nodded. Quinn staggered to stand up and looked down at her, "In just your jacket?"

Rue stood up as well, "But I use the socks I have for my hands."

Quinn looked around at their surroundings for a suitable tree to camp in before looking back at Rue, "We'll both easily fit in my sleeping bag so we can share it."

Rue's face lit up and she nodded, "Okay."

Quinn limped over to the nearest tree and braced her hands against the trunk, taking a moment to figure out how the hell she was going to climb the thing with her bum leg.

Rue came up behind her, "You know, we don't have to sleep in a tree. It would be easier for you if we took to the ground."

Quinn shook her head and pushed herself upward, wincing in pain as she did so, "No, it'll be safer this way. We'll be more vulnerable on the ground."

Rue nodded and started to climb the tree with her. She ended up climbing up the tree in half the time that it took Quinn to. "Okay, now you're just showing off," Quinn said with a strained laugh and shake of her head when she finally reached fork in the tree that Rue had chosen.

Rue just chuckled and helped Quinn take off her pack. As Rue pulled out the sleeping bag, Quinn settled herself in a way that would keep pressure off her leg. "Quinn, look!"

Quinn looked up to see Rue pointing up to the sky. For a few seconds she didn't see anything but then she saw a small pot attached to a parachute making its way towards them. A gift from the sponsors. Rue caught it and detached the parachute before handing it over to Quinn.

Quinn frowned, "Why are you giving it to me? It could be yours."

Rue shook her head, "I doubt it. I'm not injured, dehydrated or starving. It's probably something for your leg."

Quinn looked back at the pot and reluctantly unscrewed the lid. The scent alone was enough for her to realize that it was medicine. She cautiously scooped up some of the ointment with her finger and gently spread the balm over her calf. She sighed in relief as the pain was washed away and replaced by a pleasant cooling sensation. "Thank you, Sue" she whispered before applying more of the balm to the rest of her burn.

* * *

><p>The night air was particularly crisp but Quinn didn't feel an ounce of it, thanks to her sleeping bag and Rue's body heat. She was dead tired but her brain insisted on working, trying to plan out what their next move should be.<p>

Being in this position with Rue reminded her of being back home, sleeping soundly next to her sister. It also reminded her of her nights with Gale and how safe and protected she felt. She rested her cheek next to Rue's head and sighed. She wondered where Gale was right now. If he was hurt. If he was okay. She hoped that he was. She hoped that they at least saw each other once before either of them got killed.

Just then, as she felt her body about to give into a deep sleep, she heard a scream pierce the night silence. Quinn lifted her head and bolted upward while Rue shifted before doing the same. She had a sinking feeling that scream signaled number twelve.

"Who-?"

Quinn quickly covered Rue's mouth at the sound of nearby footsteps. They both stilled as the footsteps got louder. By the sound of them, there was definitely more than one person heading their way. Quinn automatically had an idea of who it was. Careers. They were the only ones that ever traveled in packs. She let go of Rue and cautiously peered over the side to see the light of torches and flashlights getting closer through the breaks in the branches. Thankfully they were both well concealed in the clump of trees so then whoever it was would simply continue on their way. Hopefully.

"Shouldn't we have heard a cannon by now?" a female voice, Clove, she recognized.

"Yeah. Nothing to prevent them from going in immediately." Quinn peered down to see that it was Marvel who had just spoke.

Another girl scoffed, Glimmer, Quinn realized, "Unless she isn't dead." Quinn caught a glimpse of her blonde hair through the foliage and nearly swore out loud when she realized that Glimmer had a silver bow in her right hand and the sheath of arrows strapped over her shoulder. Of all people to end up with _her _bow and arrows, why did it have to be Glimmer? She probably didn't even know how to use them!

"She's dead," Marvel assured, "I struck her myself."

"Then where's the cannon?" Quinn looked down to Clove moving in front of Marvel. Her gaze drifted back to Glimmer and her brain automatically tried to figure out a way to get them from her. She needed to get those arrows. But how?

"Someone should go back. Make sure the job's done." Quinn's stomach dropped at the sound of Cato's voice. She looked back at Rue, who was still as stone, before peering over the edge again and spotting Cato through the light of his torch, who had about half a dozen swords strapped to his belt, not including the one he carried in his hand.

"Yeah, we don't want to have to track the girl down twice." Clove reaffirmed.

Marvel huffed in frustration, "I said she's dead!"

In order to get those arrows from Glimmer, Quinn was going to need them to stay right where they were. If they decided to camp beneath the tree for the night, then maybe she could snatch them away from Glimmer while she was sleeping…

An argument broke out among the Careers and Quinn knew that she was going to have to act fast if she wanted to keep them here. She looked back at Rue, who was watching her curiously, probably wondering what she was thinking. She scooted back over to Rue and closed her hands over her mouth and whispered something to Rue.

Rue's eyebrows furrowed in confusion but Quinn just nodded her head, "Trust me." she mouthed.

Rue opened her mouth to protest but Quinn put a finger to her lips, shaking her head, "Please."

Rue bit her lip unsurely before quietly picking up her pack and throwing it over her shoulders.

Quinn looked back down at the Careers. Thankfully they were too busy arguing with one another to even notice what was going on above them. When Quinn looked back, Rue was nowhere in sight. Thank goodness. If this plan blew up in her face, which she felt that there was a pretty good chance that it might, she didn't want Rue to have been involved.

The arguing was still going on between the Careers and their voices were just getting louder by the second, scaring away what birds that were in the trees.

"Enough!" another tribute yelled, shutting up the rest of them, "I'll finish the girl off myself if it'll get you all to shut up and keep moving." Quinn nearly fell out of the tree. Gale. That voice belonged to _Gale_. She glanced down, searched through the foliage and a few seconds later, her gaze landed on Gale. How on earth had she missed him? And what the hell was he doing with the Careers?

No. This had to be a dream. She had to be dreaming, this couldn't be real. Gale wouldn't, he wouldn't in a million years join the Careers. He _hated _them. Quinn looked down again to ensure that she had really seen him with them and shook her head in disbelief. Had this been his plan the entire time? To make her believe that he had the intentions of protecting her only to turn his back on her once they got in the arena? He probably wanted to gain her trust so that when he finally went after her, it would be a complete surprise to her.

How naïve she had been to think that a relative stranger would choose her life over his own! Had all that they've been through been an act? She suddenly felt sick to her stomach but then that nausea turned to such an urge to punch herself for being the biggest idiot in the world. She could just imagine everyone watching getting a kick out of this. She never felt more humiliated in her life! She took a deep breath and blinked away the tears that had welled up in her eyes. Enough of this. She would get to the bottom of this later. Right now she needed to get those arrows away from Glimmer.

She leaned forward and pushed back some of the branches, "Hey, could you all keep it down? Some of us are trying to get our beauty sleep."

All of them stopped in their place, taken aback, and all their heads shot up, including Gale's.

Marvel looked up at her in disbelief, "What the-"

Quinn arched her eyebrow, "Surprised to see me?"

Glimmer's mouth curled into a smirk, "Now this just made my day." Quinn watched as she drew an arrow and aimed up at her. She released the arrow without hesitation and it was evident that Quinn had been right in assuming that she was incompetent with a bow. The arrow lodged itself in the trunk next to her and Quinn immediately pulled it out before waving it teasingly above her head.

"Let me handle this" Cato said with a roll of this eyes, pushing the bow down before walking up to the tree.

Marvel, Clove, and Glimmer all smirked as Cato prepared to climb the tree, throwing her looks that practically screamed, _You're dead now_. Quinn threw them a look of panic just for the heck of it and quickly packed up her things before climbing up the tree some more. She wasn't scared whatsoever of Cato getting her. There were reasons that people of his build and stature were rarely seen climbing trees. She heard a crack and she looked down to see Cato flailing as he and a branch went down, the perfect moment to prove her point. Branches could only support so much weight. All the Careers were no doubt stronger and bigger than she was, but also heavier. She was at least fifty pounds lighter than the smallest Career, who happened to be Clove.

Quinn watched in amusement as Cato swore like a fiend, Glimmer then rushing to help him only to get pushed away. They all regrouped on the ground and Quinn listened as they growled conspiratorially among themselves, furious that she had made them look like idiots. "We'll camp out here and deal with her in the morning" Gale started, again silencing the others, "She can't stay in that tree forever. She has to come down sometime."

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><p>Needless to say, Quinn didn't get that much sleep with the Careers and Gale below her. She waited and waited for all of them to fall asleep and it wasn't until sunrise when that happened. She looked down at their sleeping forms, noticing that the four Careers were in close proximities while Gale was farther off.<p>

Quinn's gaze darted back to where Glimmer was. The bow and arrows weren't that far from her outstretched hand. She would have to leap over Marvel to get to them though and if that went south, she risked bumping into Clove. God, why couldn't they have been more spread out?

"Psst."

Quinn's head shot up and she looked around, her eyes widening at the sight of Rue between the branches of the tree next to her. "What are you doing here?" she hissed as quietly as possible.

"Helping you" Rue mouthed.

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed in confusion but then Rue directed her gaze upward, pointing her finger up at the wasp nest some fifteen feet above her head. Horrified that Rue was that close to a wasp's nest, Quinn began shaking her head at whatever plan Rue was thinking of. They didn't even what kind of wasp's were in that nest. They could be the normal kind or…tracker jackers.

Rue looked at her expectantly and mouthed the word, "Knife" before making a sawing motion.

Quinn immediately shook her head, "It's too dangerous!"

There was no way she was going to give Rue her knife and risk her life in sawing that nest down in hopes of distracting the Careers. There were too many things that could wrong with this plan.

"Quinn!" Rue whispered, moving closer to her, holding her hand out.

Quinn looked at her unsurely but then she mouthed the words, "Trust me."

She looked back at the Careers before reluctantly handing over her knife to Rue. "But you get out of here the second you release the nest, got that?" Rue nodded her head and shimmied away from her.

Quinn watched as Rue climbed up to the limb that supported the nest and almost immediately regretted handing over her knife. Her gaze darted back and forth between Rue and the wasp's nest as she sawed through the branch. If something happened to Rue, she would never forgive herself.

She could feel perspiration on her forehead as she watched Rue saw through the wood, back and forth, repeatedly. The tracker jackers began to buzz and she could hear them coming out. She looked back at the Careers who were still dead asleep, completely oblivious to what Rue had planned for them. Quinn figured she would move down the tree a little bit, because once that nest hit the ground, she would only have a few moments to grab the bow and arrows.

Quinn swallowed hard as the nest crashed down through the lower branches, snagging temporarily on a few before twisting free until it smashed to the ground with a thud. The nest burst opened like an egg and a furious swarm of tracker jackers took to the air. Mayhem erupted just as she reached the ground. Gale and the others bolted upward and quickly dropped everything before dashing off. "Cato!" Glimmer screeched. She seemed to be the only one who noticed that Quinn was even there. But Cato had no interest in staying and finishing her off and neither did Clove or Marvel by the way they were running.

Only Glimmer was idiot enough to try and fight her for the bow and arrow while everyone else took off to the lake. Glimmer tackled her to the ground just as Quinn just about had the bow, whipping out a knife from her belt. Quinn threw her off her, getting stung a few times as she did so and Glimmer landed right on the smashed tracker jacker nest. Glimmer screamed like a lunatic as she tried to bat the wasps away with her bare hands and shuffled to stand up.

Quinn quickly got up and snatched the bow and arrow before bolting away from the madness, not bothering to look back as Glimmer's screams filled her ears, which then resulted in silence. A cannon would surely ring out soon. She pushed her legs as much as she could but staggered with every step she took, the multiple stings she had endured slowing her down. She had never been stung by a tracker jacker before but heard about them from people from back home. Unfortunately for her, they did exaggerate the effects of tracker jacker stings. The world in front of her seemed to have titled on its side, making her feel like she was walking on a slant. She looked down at the bow in her swollen hand and could've sworn she was seeing two of them. The hallucinations were definitely kicking in.

She blinked several times, trying to keep some focus and forced herself to keep moving but that proved difficult, seeing as how she couldn't see straight anymore. She crumbled to the ground after a few steps, her already unsteady legs giving out on her. She could still hear the hum of the few tracker jackers that had followed her nearby, but it wasn't like she could move. This was it. Another sting and she was a goner. But before that happened, she suddenly felt herself being lifted and she wondered if it was her soul leaving her body or something. Quinn managed to open her eyes, practically the only part of her that hadn't been stung, and it took a few moments before she realized that she was staring at something grey. Were they eyes? Her vision was too fuzzy to tell. They seemed like grey eyes. She didn't dwell on it much because a few seconds after seeing the 'grey eyes', her world faded to black.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Tw**o new episodes of Glee next week! (Random, I know but I can't wait, especially for the dream one where everyone is playing a different character. Rachel as Tina, Santana as Artie, Sue as Will, Quinn as Sugar! Aggahh, so excited!) And yesterday's episode was so good. Although I was ready to beat up Finn through the television when he started being a douche to Quinn and tried to grab her. Quinn should've stood up and kicked his ass. Actually, she, Sue, and Joe should've all teamed up and kicked his ass together. That would've been amazing! lol. Just thought I'd share my thoughts...probably because that episode has inspired me yet again to write a little something-something. Which really isn't what I want cause I've got other things to focus on, I mean I've really been lagging on my other story which is shameful! lol I'm rambling so...yeah. My bad. **

**Review, Review, Review...pretty please?**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: As always, big big thanks to those who reviewed! It means a lot and glad you all are enjoying the story! So, read. enjoy. review! Please!**

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><p>When Quinn finally regained her senses and opened her eyes, she found herself staring at the tree tops, where the branches shielded her from the onslaught of the sun's harsh rays. She blinked a few times before slowly pushing herself into a sitting position, wincing in pain as she did so. Her whole body ached. She looked around and took in her surroundings, pleased to see that her bow and arrows were right next to her as well as her pack. She automatically reached for her pack and pulled out her water bottle. She looked down at her hands, which had been severely stung by the tracker jackers from what she recalled, and noticed that they were both wrapped in leaves. She vaguely remembered her mother telling her that a certain type of leaf could draw out the poison of a tracker jacker sting. <em>These must be it, she thought to herself.<em>

As she sipped her water, she began to wonder how long she had been out for. A few hours? A few days? How many tributes had died in the meantime? Was Rue alright? Was Gale? Gale. The very thought of him reminded her of the grey eyes she had seen before she passed out. Had he been the one to get her to safety? Or had it all been a hallucination? She was going to go with the hallucination theory because last time she checked, Gale was working with the Careers. Her thoughts were interrupted though, when she suddenly heard footsteps coming towards her. She whipped her head around, which felt uncomfortably stiff, and noticed Rue walking towards her, carrying what looked like berries. Rue's eyes lit up when she noticed that Quinn was awake and immediately broke out into a run to meet her. Quinn struggled to get up but managed, "Hey, you."

Rue smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around her before giving her a tender squeeze, "I was wondering when you were going to wake up."

Quinn's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Were you the one to get me out of there?" Maybe she had thought it had been Gale but in reality it had been Rue.

Rue shook her head, "No. It wasn't me. I got out of there like you told me but when I searched for you, I found you lying here. I was the one who treated your stings though" she said, pointing to the leaves wrapped around Quinn's arms, "Changed your leaves twice."

Quinn chuckled, "Well, thank you, Rue" her smile faded when she noticed Rue's hands. They also had leaves wrapped around them. "You got stung."

"Only twice," Rue reassured after noticing the look on Quinn's face, "And they weren't that bad. Really minor."

Quinn shook her head and sat back down, "I'm so sorry, Rue. I never should've-"

"It's okay, Quinn" Rue said with a slight chuckle, "I'm fine. Besides it was worth it. We were able to take down one Career, scare the rest off, _and _get you the bow and arrows."

"Still…I should've been the one to cut the nest down, that way you wouldn't have been stung."

Rue shook her head, "Quinn, don't beat yourself up over this. It's not a big deal. Now here, eat." she piled some berries in her hand. Quinn threw them back in her mouth and chewed them for a few minutes before swallowing, "I think Gale was the one who saved me."

Rue looked back at her in surprise, "Really?"

"I'm not sure though. I was seeing a lot of things after I got stung…" Quinn started shaking her head, "I'm probably wrong. He's with the Careers after all." she said rather bitterly, "Saving me would be the last thing he would do."

"But he always told you that his main priority was protecting you," Rue reminded.

Quinn scoffed, "Yeah, that was before he betrayed me and joined the Careers! If he had wanted to join them, he should've just told me! I would've understood that more than him lying to me, making me think he would be by my side when we got in the arena."

Rue nodded silently, thinking back to the last conversation she had with Gale.

_He had caught up with her on her way to the bathroom after the tribute interviews. "I wanted to talk to you," he started, glancing over his shoulder to ensure that no one was watching them._

_Rue frowned, "Why?"_

"_I want you to go tell Quinn that you'll team up with her. Be her ally."_

_Rue looked at him unsurely, "I don't want to get in between you two, remember? I don't want you hating Quinn because I'm there. I-"_

"_She's going to need someone by her side." he interjected._

_Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What do you mean?"_

_His jaw tightened for a moment, "I plan on doing what's best for her. To ensure her safety."_

_He noticed her confused expression and sighed, "Just trust me, alright? It will be for the best."_

_Rue nodded her head, "Okay."_

_Gale nodded his head as well, "Now go tell her that you want to accept her alliance proposal, but don't mention anything about us talking, alright?"_

_She nodded, "Right. But Gale-"_

"_Hey guys." Both Rue and Gale turned their heads to see Quinn walking towards them, a suspicious look on her face. _

Gale's so called 'plan' must have been him joining the Careers, Rue realized. But she didn't understand how that was doing what was best for Quinn. Didn't he know that joining the Careers would hurt her? He had to of known...right? But if he did, then why did he do it?

"Rue?"

The sound of Quinn's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Yeah?"

Quinn looked at her oddly, "Did you hear what I said?"

Rue smiled sheepishly and shook her head, "No. I'm sorry."

Quinn chuckled and pushed herself off the ground, "It's okay." she held out her hand to Rue, "C'mon."

Rue took her hand and allowed her to pull her up, "Where are you going?"

"Now that I have these," Quinn swung the quiver of arrows over her shoulder, "I can get us some real food."

Rue nodded, "While you go hunt. I'll go get some more leaves for our stings. We'll need to change them soon."

"You sure you don't want me to go with you?"

"I'll be fine," Rue reassured, "Besides, the leaves are pretty hard to get to, especially for someone your size, but they aren't that far."

Quinn looked at her unsurely, "Okay. But we meet back here. Got it?"

Rue nodded, "Got it."

"Here," Quinn looked through her pack before pulling out her knife and handing it to her, "Take this with you. Just in case."

"Okay," Rue attached it to her belt.

Quinn slipped her pack back over her shoulder, "We meet back here in say half an hour? And if one of us doesn't come back by then, the other will look for her. Agreed?"

Rue picked up her pack, "Agreed." Quinn nodded her head and took off in one direction while Rue took off in the other.

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><p>Rue had taken to traveling through the trees as she always did while in the arena. She had the upper hand this way and was less vulnerable up high in the tree tops. She hadn't been traveling for long when she heard the footsteps of someone coming her way. She stilled for a moment and hesitatively peered out over the edge of the branch she found herself perched on. She scanned through the foliage before catching sight of the tribute down below. It was Gale. Almost instantly her fear disappeared and before she knew what she was doing, she began making her way down the tree. "Gale" she whispered to get his attention.<p>

Gale stopped and his head shot upward, his grey eyes blazing. His hard expression softened a little upon realizing that it was her. "Rue."

She smiled weakly and jumped off the lowest branch, landing on the ground without a sound.

"You shouldn't be here" Gale said, looking over his shoulder and back, "I may not be alone."

She folded her arms across her chest, "Why are you with the Careers?"

Gale sighed, "I told you Rue, to protect Quinn. It's better this way."

Rue looked at him skeptically, "Then why do you look miserable?"

"I'm fighting for my life in the Hunger Games," he said rather harshly, "I think being miserable is something to be expected."

"You hurt Quinn," Rue said quietly, "You should've told her about your plan."

Gale shook his head, "She would've tried to stop me or something. Besides, it's working out just the way I wanted it to."

Rue pursed her lips together, "But Gale-" She was cut off by a loud, ear-piercing scream that startled her to the core. She looked back at Gale, only to see that every ounce of color had vanished from his face and his pupils had dilated in fear. Before she could even open her mouth to say anything, he had taken off.

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><p>Quinn had just caught a rabbit, her first kill with her new bow and arrow, when she had heard it. A scream. A scream so full of fear and pain that it turned her blood to ice. She dropped the rabbit she had just captured, forgetting everything, only conscious of the fact that she had to get to her. Her sister. She broke out into a sprint, running harder and faster than she ever thought possible.<p>

"Frannie!" she screamed. How could they bring her into the arena? "Frannie!" she screamed again, only to get a second scream in response. Where was she? What was happening to her? What were the Gamemakers doing to her? Another scream filled her ears almost instantly, only this time it wasn't Frannie's, instead it was Stevie's. They had them. They had both her little brother and little sister somewhere in the arena.

She picked up her pace, sweat dripping down the side of her face as she ran through the trees like a bat out of hell. She could feel herself getting closer. She had to be getting closer. She just had to. She ripped through some bushes into a small clearing and found that her sibling's screams were at their loudest here. She quickly spun around, calling their names, but got no response. Just more screams above her. Wait, above her? Her head whipped back. Did they have them in the trees or something? She desperately searched the braches but came up empty handed. "Frannie? Stevie?" she cried out. Another wail rang out and she suddenly zoomed in on the source. The screams were coming from the mouths of two small, crested black birds perched on a branch about ten feet above her head. Those birds were jabberjays.

She had first learned about jabberjays from her father who told her that they had been created in Capitol labs to spy on the rebels of the Capitol. They had the ability to memorize and repeat entire human conversations, and when the rebels found out how the Capitol were getting a hold of their private conversations, they used the jabberjays to feed the Capitol lies. The Capitol then stopped using them and set them off into the wild, where they mated with mockingbirds, thus creating the mockingjay.

She finally felt herself exhale at the sight of those tiny birds. Her siblings weren't in the arena after all. They weren't in any pain or danger. This was just a sadistic trick of the Gamemakers to torture the tributes by getting the birds to mimic the screams of their loved ones. But how could they obtained the sounds of her siblings' screams? Did they torture them to get those sounds? How could they have possibly…No. She didn't want to think about that now. The good thing was that her brother and sister weren't in the arena. Infuriated, she drew an arrow and shot it through one of the bird's throat before striking down the other one in the same manner. She walked underneath the tree and picked up the two birds. She removed the arrows from their necks before kicking them under some foliage. She straightened up and looked around at her surroundings. The trees were different in this area. In fact, this whole area was unfamiliar. She swore under her breath. She was going to have a heck of a time getting back to Rue. She really should've payed attention to where she was going. She sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow. She turned back around to head back the way she had came but before she took another step, she heard another scream. She immediately stopped. It wasn't her sibling's screams this time and it wasn't Rue's, or Gale's, what it sounded like…was her own screams.

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><p>The piercing shriek was definitely hers but wasn't coming from her. It had to be another jabberjay. But why was it mimicking her own screams? Did the Gamemakers really think that would alarm her? Unless…<p>

"Quinn!"

The sound of someone screaming her name pulled her from her thoughts and she immediately spun around. She didn't see anyone but could still her own screams in the distance. She instantly followed the sound of her voice, eager to locate and take down the jabberjay.

"Quinn!"

She picked up her pace when she realized that it was Gale who was screaming her name. While she had heard her sibling's screams, Gale had heard hers. Just when she thought she couldn't hate the Gamemakers any more.

"Quinn! Quinn!" she heard Gale scream over and over.

"Gale!" she called back, pushing her legs harder as she felt herself getting closer to him. She skidded to a halt, though, when she heard the jabberjay's shrieking right above just like before. Her head snapped back as she searched through the trees for any sight of the bird. But her attention was diverted away from the trees at the sound of pounding footsteps approaching her.

She turned back around to see Gale now running towards her, still screaming her name. Once he was a few feet away from her, he began looking around, wildly pacing around the area, still screaming her name. Did he not see her? How could he not see her?

"Gale!" she cried, moving in front of him, "Gale, it's me, Quinn! I'm right here!"

It was obvious that even though she was right here, he was still in a state of panic, still completely unreachable. He probably couldn't focus on anything she was saying with that damn Jabberjay mimicking her screams, drowning out the sound of her own voice. She reluctantly turned around, away from him, and pulled out an arrow, hastily scanning the branches for the jabberjay. It took her a few moments before she located it, but when she did, she didn't hesitate in driving an arrow through it's chest.

She looked back at Gale and dropped her bow on the ground. "I thought…" he almost sounded as if he were chocking back tears, "you were screaming." His whole body was shaking like she didn't know what.

"Hey, hey," she cupped his face in her hands and forced him to look at her, "Look at me, I'm right here. None of it was real." she gently brushed away a tear with her thumb, "It was just a Jabberjay, okay? It wasn't real. It was just something the Gamemakers cooked up." He nodded his head understandingly but his body was still shaking uncontrollably.

"It wasn't real," she whispered again, brushing away the tears that continued to slid down his cheeks. He shut his eyes tightly and he crumbled to his knees right in front of her. "I thought I had lost you" he whispered, his breathing ragged and his head downcast.

She sniffled and got down on her knees before gently helping him back up onto his feet. She brought him closer to her so that his forehead touched hers, "But you didn't. I'm right here."

He nodded his head and buried it in the crook of her neck as his arms wrapped around her waist and squeezed her tightly. She wrapped her arms around him and soothingly ran her hands up and down the length of his back, hoping to quell his trembling, "Just breathe, Gale, just breathe," she whispered into his ear, "I'm right here. I'm okay. Everything's fine. Shh…"

They stayed like that for what seemed like a long time, but Quinn didn't really care if it was minutes or hours that passed them by. Her only concern was Gale. She had never seen anyone so shaken up before in her life. Not even her mother had shown such emotion when she had gotten the news of Quinn's father's untimely death. She rested her chin against Gale's shoulder and sighed, her fingers now drawing small circles on his back.

"Quinn!"

She looked up to see Rue breathlessly running towards them, her brown eyes full of relief. Quinn felt Gale stiffen and softly reassured him that it was just Rue. He then straightened up and turned his head to see Rue slowing down as she got closer to them.

"Are you okay?" Rue asked, her voice cracking slightly, "We heard you screaming and-"

Quinn shook her head, "It wasn't real. It was just a jabberjay. I think the gamemakers programmed them to mimic the screams of the tribute's loved ones to torture them."

Rue nodded, "Well that explains why Gale heard your screams."

"I'm sorry I ditched you without any warning," Gale muttered, finally taking his eyes off of Quinn to look down at Rue.

"It's okay, Gale."

Quinn looked between them both, "Wait, you two were together?"

"I bumped into him on my way to get the leaves," Rue explained.

"What happened to the others?" Quinn asked Gale, looking at him expectantly.

"I ventured off to do some hunting," he explained.

Quinn's face fell, "So you're still with the Careers?"

He gave a slight nod.

Quinn felt the hurt and betrayal from when she first saw him with the Careers begin to well up inside her again. "Well, you better get back to them. They'll be wondering why you've been gone so long."

"Let them," Gale responded coldly, "I don't plan on going back to them anytime soon."

Rue's face lit up, "Really? So you're going to stay with us?" Gale gave a curt nod.

Quinn scoffed, "How do I know that you won't up and leave to join the Careers again?"

Gale's jaw tightened, "Things are different."

"Why did you join the Careers in the first place then?" she demanded, "And if you don't give me a straight answer Gale Hawthorne I swear-"

"I did it to protect you!" Gale yelled furiously, "Just like everything I do is to protect you! The only reason I joined those blockheads was so that I could keep an eye on them and then when the time was right, destroy them from the inside out, so you wouldn't have to worry about them!"

"So on our first day of training, when Glimmer pulled you aside…you didn't really reject her offer to join the Careers, did you?".

"No," he said firmly, "I told her I'd think about it. I wasn't until you started to become friends with Rue that I seriously started to consider it. I figured I could protect you better this way and then you would still have someone by your side in the arena when you teamed up with Rue," he explained, glancing over at Rue.

"So the both of you had this planned?" Quinn questioned.

"I never told Rue about my plan to join the Careers, I just told her that it was imperative that you take up her offer to form an alliance."

"I'm sorry for keeping secrets from you, Quinn." Rue said apologetically.

"It was for your own good" Gale muttered.

"You should've told me!"

Gale's eyes flashed anger, "You never would've gone for it! Besides it was the best thing for both of us, we needed some time apart…" he said through gritted teeth.

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

Gale shook his head, "Never mind, just forget I said anything."

She huffed in frustration, "There you go again, shutting me out! Would it kill you to just talk to me? Just once?" Just when she thinks they're making progress, he takes a step back.

"Guys, it's getting late," Rue softly interjected, "Maybe we should start making camp."

Gale and Quinn tore their eyes off each other and reluctantly nodded their heads in agreement. "Yeah, you're right," Quinn whispered, her gaze drifting up towards the sky which had drastically darkened in a short amount of time. Probably another ploy of the Gamemakers to speed things up.

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><p>A few hours later, the three of them had made their camp on the floor, since the tracker jacker stings on Quinn's hands had made it difficult to climb the trees. Gale had taken first watch while Rue and Quinn slept. Quinn had been in a deep sleep with the abrupt boom of a cannon jolted her awake. Rue shifted against her and she quietly told her to go back to sleep. Quinn slowly moved away from her and looked over at Gale, who was wide awake, resting his back against the tree trunk. She rubbed her eyes and gave a slight yawn, "Let's switch, I'll take the next watch."<p>

Gale looked back at her and shook his head, "I'm fine. Go back to sleep."

Quinn shook her head, "Gale, you need to sleep."

"Quinn, I said I'm fine, I'm not tired. Go back to sleep."

"Well, I'm awake now thanks to that cannon" she whispered, "do you know how many tributes are left?"

"Ten," he replied, "Marvel, Cato, Clove, the girl from Five, the boy from Three, the boy from Ten, Thresh, and then the three of us." his gaze drifted down to her leg and his eyes darkened, "What happened?"

He was referring to the burn that was slowly healing on her thigh. Quinn looked down at it and sighed, "There was this fire that Rue and I got caught in thanks to the Gamemakers. I got skinned by a stupid fireball."

"It doesn't look too bad."

She nodded, "Sue sent it to me. Has she sent anything to you?"

Gale shook his head, "But then again I haven't required anything."

"I bet the Gamemakers enjoyed coming up with that one," she muttered, her finger ghosting over her burn.

He frowned, "What do you mean?"

"The irony of this," she responded, "You know, me being the 'Girl on Fire' and all."

Gale nodded understandingly and pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes blinking wearily.

"Gale, it's obvious that you need to sleep. Switch with me. Right now." she demanded, although she careful to keep her voice low.

Gale just shook his head.

"Why are you fighting me?"

"I don't mean to fight you Quinn," he said quietly, "If you would just drop it…"

"If you would just tell me what's going on!"

"I won't be able to sleep, even if I tried," he muttered.

"Why do you say that?" she asked tentatively.

He started to look anywhere but at her. "Because for the past hour and a half, every time I so much as close my eyes, all I can hear is your screams from earlier."

Her expression softened and she slipped out of her sleeping bag to move closer to him, "Hey, it wasn't real, remember?"

Gale nodded, "I know that. It's just the memory's burned in my head. I can't stop thinking about it. I don't know what I would've done if they had been real-"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't think about anymore," she whispered, directing his gaze back to her, "You're just going to upset yourself."

"Too late," he muttered, "This is what I get I guess."

Quinn frowned and dropped her hand from his face, "Get for what?"

"Getting so close to you," he replied, "I told you before, the closer you get to people, the more likely you are to get hurt."

"Then why did you?"

"I hadn't planned on it," he said quietly, "When I volunteered, I told myself I wouldn't get close to you. Just do everything I could to protect you in that arena. But then, something inside me snapped and…I wanted to get to know you."

She pursed her lips together. "And yet you constantly shut me out."

He sighed, "I can't help it. It's just the way that I am, I'm not any good at expressing my feelings and all that."

"And I get that," she started to fiddle with the singed hem of her jacket, "I just…we don't have a lot of time left and I just wish you would…" she drifted off and started to shake her head, "Never mind."

"Who's keeping things bottled up now?"

She shook her head, "It isn't good to keep your emotions, your feelings, bottled up, Gale."

He stared up at the night sky and sighed, "Maybe not. But it's for the best."

"I really wish you would stop saying that," she slipped back into her sleeping bag, "because you and I both know it's not."

He looked back at her and sighed. Every fiber in his being was screaming at him to just tell her how he truly felt but he knew he couldn't do that. Because if he did, it would just make it that much harder on both of them, seeing as how they were inevitably going to be torn apart sooner or later.

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><p><strong>AN: Review please?<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: As always, big big big thanks to all of you who review! Definitely is amazing to hear that you all are liking the story so much! Which is why I made this chapter longer than the last one! Hope you all enjoy it! Anyways, read. enjoy. review!**

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><p>It was early morning and Gale, Quinn, and Rue were gathered around eating their breakfast. Gale had caught a type of wild turkey, which Rue identified as something called a groosling in her district, with one of his snares. Rue had gathered two eggs from a nest she had come across while Quinn had gone to the nearby stream and filled up everyone's water bottles.<p>

"How did you get those?" Rue asked Gale as he put his water bottle back in his pack. She was referring to the pair of sunglasses that he had taken out to make room for his bottle.

"In my pack," he replied with a shrug, "But they've been useless so far. They don't block the sun and they make it harder to see."

Rue shook her head, "That's because they aren't for sunlight, they're for darkness. Sometimes, when we harvest through the night, they'll pass out a few pairs to those of us highest in the trees where the torchlight's don't reach."

Gale picked up the glasses and took a second look at them, "So what do they do exactly?"

"They let you see in complete darkness," she explained, "Try them tonight when the sun goes down."

Gale nodded and tucked them back in his pack, "I definitely will. It'll make it easier to hunt at night."

"I wonder who else has a pair of those" Quinn wondered aloud. Whoever did would definitely have a much easier time getting around during the night, tracking down unsuspecting tributes.

"Clove and Cato do," Gale replied with a grim expression, "along with all the rest of their stuff by the lake."

Quinn bit her lip nervously, "I wonder if they've figured out that you've left them."

Gale nodded, "They probably have."

"They're so strong" Rue said quietly.

Quinn looked back at her, "So are we…just in a different way."

"Well, you are," Rue said softly, "You can shoot. And Gale can make snares. What can I do?"

"You can feed yourself." Quinn answered automatically, "Can they?"

"They don't need to. They have their supplies." Gale interjected.

"Well, say they didn't. Say the supplies were gone. How long would they last?" she looked back and forth between the two of them, "I mean, it's the hunger games, right?"

"But they're not hungry, Quinn." Rue pointed out.

Quinn nodded her head in agreement and pushed herself up off the floor, "No, they're not. That's the problem."

"A problem which we have to fix," Gale said, standing up as well, "And I know exactly how."

* * *

><p>"Right now's the perfect time to take out the Career's food," Gale said as the three of them trekked through the woods towards the lake where the Career's camp was, "During the day, they leave the boy from Three to watch over the supplies while they look for other tributes.<p>

Quinn frowned, "The boy from Three?"

Gale nodded, "He stays at the camp-full time. He's not that big of a kid. Cato only agreed to let him live if he acted as guard."

"So where do they keep the supplies?" Quinn asked.

"Out in the open, about thirty yards away from their base camp. It's set up in like a pyramid formation. It's mined all around the area so if anyone tried to blindly take something, they'd be blown up like that." he explained with a snap of his fingers.

Rue looked up at him, "But I thought that the land mines were disabled after the sixty seconds we stood on the plates,"

"The kid from three somehow managed to reactivate them," Gale replied, "They're set off by pressure. Even the smallest amount will trigger them."

"So that's the key, then," Quinn realized, "We use the mines to destroy the Career's supplies."

Gale nodded, "Exactly. We set off one of the mines, the supplies are done for."

"And how exactly are we going to set off one of the mines without getting ourselves blown to pieces?" Rue inquired.

Quinn looked back at Gale and arched her eyebrow, "Yeah, exactly how are we going to do that?"

Gale reached behind her and tapped one of the arrows in the quiver strung across her back.

Quinn frowned in confusion, "And how do you expect me to set off a mine by shooting an arrow?"

"We'll find something for you to hit, something that could easily fall down and trigger the mine." Gale replied.

She looked at him questionably, "And you're sure that this will work?"

Gale shrugged, "Well we won't know unless we try, now will we?"

Quinn nodded, "I guess but…"

"But what?" Rue asked.

Quinn pursed her lips together and sighed, "I don't know, I just…I don't have a good feeling right now, maybe this isn't a good idea."

"It's a good idea," Rue reassured, "If we take away the Careers' supplies, they won't be able to fend for themselves and they'll end up being less of a threat."

Gale nodded his head in agreement, "They'll be easier to take out. They're not used to starving, so they definitely won't last long without their hoards of food."

Quinn looked at him unsurely.

"Hey," Gale gently touched her arm, stopping her in her place, "you have _nothing _to worry about. Okay? I won't let anything to happen to you…or Rue. In fact, to ensure that nothing bad happens to either one of you, give me your bow and arrows, I'll take out the supplies, you guys stay here."

Quinn shook her head, "No offense, Gale, but I'm better than a bow and arrow than you are."

Gale folded his arms across his chest, "And how would you know? You've never seen me shoot."

Quinn just shrugged, "Don't need to, I just know."

Gale arched his eyebrow, a smirk on his face, "Cocky, much?"

Quinn just laughed him off, "Come on, Gale, let's keep walking, we're going to need to pick up our pace if we want to get this done today."

Gale grabbed her arm, stopping her once again, "Give me your bow and an arrow, I'll prove to you that I can shoot."

"I'm not saying that you can't shoot, Gale," Quinn said with a chuckle as she took back her arm, "I'm just saying that I'm probably better than you are."

"Well, if you're so confident, then lend me your bow and arrow."

Quinn shrugged, "Fine," she reached behind her and pulled out an arrow before handing it to him, along with the bow, "But don't think you can use Rue as target practice."

Gale let out an exasperated sigh, "Fine."

Rue playfully glared at him, "Jee, thanks."

Gale smirked and looked up at the surrounding trees, searching for something suitable to shoot.

"Any day now," Quinn teased.

Gale scowled and strung the arrow before pointing upward at one of the trees, spotting his target.

Rue and Quinn followed his aim and Rue almost cried out at the sight of his next target, "Oh Gale, don't-" But it was too late, he had released the arrow and landed right where he wanted. In the eye of a mockingjay that had settled in the treetop. The little bird instantly fell to the ground.

Gale walked over to it and picked it up, "See? Clean shot through the eye. Take about the perfect hit," he said proudly before taking out the arrow and tossing the dead bird over his shoulder.

Quinn just rolled her eyes and held out her hands, "Okay, Gale, but that doesn't mean I'm letting you take out the Career's supplies for me. I am perfectly capable of doing it myself."

"I never said you weren't," Gale retorted, handing back her bow and arrow, "I'm just trying to keep you out of harm's way. You know, protect you."

"And I appreciate it, I really do," she replied, wiping the tip of the arrow on the grass, "I just don't want you to do everything for me. I'm not one of those girls who likes to sit idly back and let a guy do the dirty work for her. I wasn't brought up that way."

He nodded, "And I'm glad you aren't."

Quinn nodded and looked over at Rue, who was on her knees over where Gale had thrown the dead mockingjay. "Rue?" Quinn walked over to her and knelt down beside her, "Whatcha doing?"

"Just giving the little guy a proper burial," she replied, gently filling in the small hole she had made with dirt.

Gale frowned, "Why? It's just a bird."

Quinn looked back at him and threw him a glare.

Rue patted the dirt and smoothed it out, "I know it seems silly but I really have a thing for mockingjays. I have some special friends that are mockingjays back home."

Gale looked at her oddly, "What do you mean?"

"Well," Rue pushed herself off her knees and dusted them off, "They carry special messages for me. I'm usually up the highest, so I'm the first to see the flag that signals quitting time. There's a special little song I do." She opened her mouth and sang a little four-note run in a sweet clear, voice. "And the mockingjays spread it across the orchard. That's how everyone knows how to stop." Quinn nodded, recalling when Rue first told her this during their first day of training.

"That's why I love Quinn's pin," she said to Gale, turning and pointing to the mockingjay pin that Quinn had completely forgotten about.

"Well, here , then, you take it," Quinn said as she unclasped the pin from her jacket, "It has more meaning to you than me."

Rue stepped back and shook her head, "Oh no, it's yours. Besides, I have this." She pulled out a necklace woven out of some kind of grass from her shirt. On it, hung a roughly carved wooden star. Or maybe it was a flower. "It's a good luck charm."

"See, we've got Rue's good luck charm to give us luck, you don't have to worry about this plan going south," Gale reassured, beckoning them to keep walking.

Quinn sighed and pinned her mockingjay back to her jacket, "Well, it has worked so far so I guess I should stop worrying."

Rue nodded, "Yeah, nothing bad is going to happen today, Quinn."

* * *

><p>"I though you said that they'd be gone right now," Quinn whispered quietly as she, Gale, and Rue took in the sight in the sight of Cato, Clove, and Marvel laughing at something Cato had said. They were currently hidden in some bushy foliage at the edge of the woods, the Career camp easily observable from where they were. "They usually are," Gale hissed back, trying to keep his voice as quiet as possible.<p>

"What do we do now?" Rue asked, her voice barely audible.

They all fell into silence as they searched their brains for a second plan.

"I've got an idea," Gale whispered, breaking the silence, "I'll set up two fires across the way" he said, pointing to the trees on the opposite side of the Career's camp, "They'll see the smoke and be compelled to go check it out. They wouldn't give up the chance to slaughter another tribute."

Quinn nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah, you're right."

Gale nodded, "I'll set two fires some distances apart, to give you more time."

"I should do it," Rue said suddenly, causing Gale and Quinn to look back at her.

"What?"

"I should be the one to do it," Rue repeated, "I'm much faster than Gale is, and less noticeable. I'll be able to get in and out of there quickly."

Quinn immediately started shaking her head, "No way, not happening. I'm not letting you do it."

"Yeah, I agree with Quinn," Gale said, "It'll be safer for you if you stay here."

"But, you're more likely to mess up!" Rue argued.

Gale frowned, "What do you mean?"

Rue rolled her eyes, "Gale, we all know that you won't be able to fully concentrate if you do this. You'll be too worried about Quinn."

Quinn thought about it and pursed her lips together, "She has a point, Gale."

Gale scowled, "Fine. You can do it, Rue."

Rue smiled brightly, "I won't be long and don't you two worry, I can do this."

Gale and Quinn looked at each other before watching Rue sneak away.

* * *

><p>Gale and Quinn sat and waited in silence for about twenty minutes before they saw the smoke of one of Rue's fires emerging from the treetops. Seconds later, they heard Cato shout out. Obviously he saw it too. An argument suddenly broke out among the tributes and they were all loud enough for Quinn and Gale to hear. They were arguing on whether or not the boy from District 3 should stay or accompany Cato, Clove, and Marvel.<p>

"He's coming," Cato said, "We need him in the woods. His job's done here anyways. It's not like anyone's going to touch those supplies."

"What about Hawthorne? What if he decides to come back?" Marvel asked.

"He isn't stupid enough to come back, the traitor," Cato spat, "He knows we'd rip him apart."

"I bet you he had a chance of heart and went after the blonde." Clove sneered.

"Not that I blame him," Cato said with a smirk as he picked up his sword, "I'd definitely like to get that girl on all fours and…"

"Penetrate her with your sword?" Marvel snickered. Cato nodded and the two high fived. Cato smirked, "Damn straight, over and over and over-"

Quinn heard Gale growl next to her and it took everything she had to keep him from abandoning the entire plan to go after Cato. "Just ignore him," she whispered, tugging on Gale's sleeve, forcing him back down to a crouching position, "You can't ruin this."

"I am going to rip his head off the second I get the chance," Gale snarled, his grey eyes blazing with anger.

Quinn sighed and looked back ahead to see all of the Careers, including the boy from Three, heading out into the woods, leaving their camp completely unprotected. She really hoped Rue was going to be able to get out in time. She stared at the their pyramid of supplies for the longest time, trying to figure out how she was going to trigger one of the mines. Gale had kept quiet, still fuming over Cato and Marvel's comments. She could practically feel the rage radiating onto her. "What do you think I should aim for?" she asked him, taking her bow off her shoulder.

Gale stayed quiet for a moments before answering her, "There, that's your target." he pointed to a burlap sack of apples that was suspended from a rope off the side of one of the bins. "You sever the rope and free the apples-"

"And they'll fall and hit the ground, triggering the mines." she finished with a firm nod of her head, moving into range and giving herself three arrows to get the job done. She took a deep breath as she strung the arrow and moved to a comfortable stance before releasing the arrow. It ended up tearing through the side of the bag, near the top, leaving a split in the burlap. She exhaled deeply and lined up another arrow, releasing it seconds later. This one widened the split to a gaping hole.

"You're doing great," Gale whispered, his gaze firmly on the bag of apples. She nodded and with shaky hands set up the next arrow, if she didn't make it with this arrow…she shook her head of any negative thoughts and took a deep breath before releasing the arrow. She swore rather loudly when she saw where it landed. Way off target. _Way _off. Three arrows gone, now she was going to have to use up a fourth. Damn it.

"Take it easy," Gale said quietly, coming up behind her and moved his body close to hers. She took another deep breath before setting up another arrow. He gently put his hands over hers, trying to quell her shaking fingers, "You can do this." With his hands steadying hers, she locked on her target and released the arrow, which caught the torn flap of the burlap and ripped it from the bag. Gale and Quinn both held their breath as the apples spilt to the ground in seemingly slow motion, before they were both blown backwards into the air.

* * *

><p>Quinn hissed in pain, struggling to regain her breath since the impact had knocked the wind out of her. Her head throbbed painfully and she wondered if she had earned a concussion. She moved her limbs and figured that she hadn't broken any bones, but definitely bruised a majority of them. She slowly sat up, instantly regretting doing so as she was overcome with severe vertigo. She looked over at Gale, who was still on his back, unmoving.<p>

She quickly pushed all thoughts of vertigo aside and crawled over to him, "Gale. Gale!" she whispered frantically. She sighed in relief when she saw him open his eyes, "Thank god, for a second I thought you were dead." She glanced down and noticed that something was wrong with his arm. "Hey, are you alright? I mean, are you seriously hurt?" Maybe his arm just looked funny because she was still dizzy. He shook his head, "Not bad, although I think I broke my collarbone and maybe my shoulder. But it's nothing."

"That is not nothing," she exclaimed as she helped him sit up, "Are you dizzy?"

He shook his head and automatically she didn't believe him. "How many fingers am I holding up?" she asked, holding up two fingers in front of him.

"Four," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looked back at her, "How do _you_ feel? Are you okay?"

She nodded, "Just some bruising."

His eyes narrowed, "Are you just telling me that so I don't freak out?"

She shook her head, "No, I-"

Her voice was drowned out by the sound of someone screaming with rage. Quinn and Gale both looked back out to the camp to see that the Careers had returned. "You idiot!" he screamed at the boy from District Three, "You were supposed to keep watch!"

"Are you kidding me?" the boy exclaimed, "You told me to come with you, you moron! If you want to blame anyone, it's you!"

Cato swore loudly, instantly catching the boy in a headlock before snapping his neck. Marvel and Clove then proceeded to try and calm Cato down, all while standing a good distance's away from him. The three of them start to argue but Quinn couldn't focus on what they were saying for the life of her.

"They think that whoever caused the explosion died doing it," Gale said, hissing in pain as he pushed himself in an upright position, "The sound of the cannon would've been masked by the explosion from the bombs."

"Well, that's good, right? Now they won't be looking for us."

"Yeah, but they're probably going to try and find a body before it's picked up. We need to get out of here." he leaned down and helped her up with his good arm. That was easier said than done since they could both barely stand, let alone walk.

* * *

><p>"Do you think Rue is okay?" Quinn asked breathlessly as she and Gale took yet another break as they tried to make it back towards their camp.<p>

Gale nodded, his face still a shade paler than normal, "Yeah, I think so."

Quinn sat down and rested against a fallen tree trunk, "I hope so," she then beckoned Gale to sit down beside her, "Come here, you. You need to rest."

Gale staggered over to her and pulled out his water bottle before sitting down next to her. She gently touched the side of his face, "You look like hell, maybe you should lie down."

He shook his head and took a sip of his water, "I'm fine. Just need some water and I'll be good to go."

"We'll rest for ten minutes and then we'll keep moving," Quinn stated as she slid down to the floor, where she rested her back against the tree trunk.

Gale nodded, "Okay."

Ten minutes of rest ended up turning into an hour and a half.

"Okay, we really need to get going," Quinn whispered, pushing herself off the ground and straightening back up, "Rue's probably worried sick about us."

Gale nodded and got up as well before throwing his pack over his good shoulder.

* * *

><p>They made it back to their original campsite later that afternoon. There was no sign of Rue, non on the ground or in the trees. Quinn frowned at this and looked around again, "Where could she be?"<p>

"Maybe she's just being cautious about making her way back. Or maybe she got caught in the blast like we did and is just taking longer to get back." Gale suggested.

Quinn bit her lip unsurely, fearing something was wrong, "Maybe we should go look for her."

Gale shook his head, "You and I are in no condition to go back to trekking through the woods. We need to take it easy. You nearly passed out twice. We'll just wait for her here."

Quinn reluctantly nodded and just as she pulled her pack off her shoulder, she heard a scream.

A child's scream, a young girl's scream, _Rue's_ scream. Quinn felt her stomach drop and she immediately broke out into a run, not bothering to check if Gale was behind her or not. Her legs felt as though they were going to crumble at any second but she was determined to keep moving. She couldn't abandon Rue when she needed her. There was another high-pitched cry, this time crying, "Quinn! Quinn! Gale!"

"Rue!" she shouted back, so she knew she was near.

"We're coming!" Gale yelled from behind her and she realized that he was running along with her.

When they broke into a clearing, they were met with the sight of her on the ground, hopelessly entangled in a net. Quinn dropped down to her side and hastily moved to free her from the net, "Who did this to you?"

Gale dropped down beside her and pulled out his knife, severing the net and pulling it apart.

"Watch out!" Rue suddenly screamed, pointing her finger behind them. Gale quickly turned around, only to be suddenly tackled by Marvel. Gale hit the ground with a loud oomph and the Marvel proceeded to pull his knife out of his pocket and try to stab Gale with it. Gale put up a fight through, forcefully shoving Marvel onto his back before jumping on him and beating him to a bloody pulp .

Quinn looked back at Rue, "Get out of here!" she exclaimed, quickly pulling out an arrow and stringing it, aiming for Marvel. Rue nodded and quickly disappeared.

Quinn tried to get a good lock on Marvel, but he and Gale were moving so fast that if she released the arrow, she risked hitting Gale.

Gale currently had Marvel in a headlock put then Marvel stabbed him with his knife and dragged it down the length of his arm, causing him to yell out in pain before Marvel knocked him backwards again.

"Clove!" Marvel suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs, "Cato!"

Quinn looked around, fearful that Cato and Clove were close to closing in on them. She quickly aimed for Marvel again, this time able to get a clear shot of him. She released the arrow and it landed in the middle of Marvel's back. He swore loudly and dropped down to his knees, his hand frantically reaching behind him to pull the arrow out. Gale quickly got up and lifted Marvel up before slamming him back to the ground, forcing the arrow deeper. Marvel began coughing up blood and still tried to fight Gale with what strength he had left. Gale punched him in the face, the sheer force of it breaking the bones in his nose. Quinn winced at the sound and quickly strung up another arrow, turning her back on Gale to keep an eye out for any sight of Clove or Cato.

"Gale, we really should get out of here!" she exclaimed, knowing that if she and Gale came face to face with them, they'd probably end up losing. She looked back at Gale, who was still repeatedly punching Marvel even though he was no longer alive.

Quinn ran over to him and tried to pull him off of Marvel, "Gale, stop! He's already dead."

Gale reluctantly stood back up, his knuckles stained red with Marvel's blood. Just then Marvel's cannon went off.

"We need to get out of here," she said again, handing him his pack and picking up Marvel's knife, "We're in no condition to face Clove and Cato too." She caught sight of his arm, the one he had already injured from the explosion, to see that it was gushing blood like crazy, "We need to get that taken care of fast."

Gale was about to respond but he was silenced by the sound of another scream that caused the birds to flee from the treetops. Another one of _Rue's_ screams. She looked back at Gale, who seemed to be thinking the same thing by the expression on his face. Without hesitating, Quinn broke out into a run again. She hadn't been running long when she heard nearby voices that caused her to skid to a halt. Those voices belonged to Clove and Cato. If they had hurt Rue in anyway… her thoughts were pushed away when Gale suddenly grabbed her, pulling her back behind a tree, one of his hands covering her mouth. "You're insane, you know that?" he hissed in her ear, forcing her to keep still.

"Don't you want to finish the job?" they heard Clove ask.

"Nah, let her bleed out," Cato replied, "She's done for anyways. There's no way she's going to survive. Let's go look for Hawthorne and Fabray, they're bound to be close by."

"Yeah, let's go this way. Marvel's voice came from this direction."

"No, it came from this direction, idiot."

"No, it didn't."

"Yes, it did!" Cato roared.

Clove huffed in frustration, "Fine, Cato, we'll go that way."

The second Quinn heard their receding footsteps, she made a notion to move but Gale held her firmly in her place. "Wait," he whispered. He released his grip on her and silently peered out from behind the tree. He cautiously took a few steps forward with his knife drawn just in case. Quinn poked her head out from behind the tree just as Gale beckoned her to join him. "It's clear," he said with a nod of his head.

She nodded and quickly followed him until he abruptly stopped, causing her to bump into him. "What…" she trailed off at the sight of Rue's body before them some yards away. She quickly jogged to Rue's side, instantly dropping to her knees and taking her hand, "Rue?" She looked down at Rue's stomach, to see that it was bleeding profusely. It was a large wound, taking up the entire surface of her stomach. She had been stabbed, presumably by Cato's sword.

"Did you blow up the food?" Rue asked meekly, directing Quinn's attention away from her severe wound. Her face was a shade paler than it normal was. Quinn nodded, placing her hands over hers, "Yeah, all of it."

Rue swallowed hard, "Don't go just yet."

"We're not going anywhere," she said quietly, letting go of Rue's hand only to take off her jacket and place it over Rue's wound to stop the bleeding. She glanced over at Gale, who's face was grave as he looked down at them. He knew just as well as she did that there was nothing they could do for Rue. They didn't have any supplies, and even if they did, they probably wouldn't be able to fix up a wound of that size.

"Quinn," she whispered as Quinn lifted her head onto her lap.

"Hmm?"

"I really hope you and Gale work things out…before it's too late," Rue whispered, her voice barely audible, "You two belong together." Quinn didn't know how to respond.

"Can I ask for a favor?" Rue then asked, her brown eyes looking up at her.

Quinn nodded, "Anything."

"Will you sing?"

"Sing?" Quinn repeated, frowning slightly. Rue gave a slight nod.

Quinn pursed her lips together, searching her head for a song, any song that she could sing. A few moments later, she settled on a song that she remembered her father singing to her as a child, a song that she sang to her siblings whenever they were sick or needed comforting.

She cleared her throat, feeling that it was tight with tears and softly began:

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

_Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes_

_And when again they open, the sun will rise_

Rue's eyes fluttered closed but a small smile was painted across her face as Quinn continued with her song.

_Here it's safe, here it's warm_

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you._

Quinn glanced up at Gale, who was still standing by them, his gaze hard, his face unreadable. He refused to make eye contact with her. She looked back at Rue, the tears she had tried to hold in, now freely sliding down her cheeks. She exhaled shakily before continuing. She had to finish the song for her.

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away_

_A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray_

_Forget your woes and let your troubles lay_

_And when again it's morning, they'll wash away_

_Here it's safe, here it's warm_

_Here the daisies guard you from every harm_

The last lines were barely audible but her voice was noticeably shaky.

_Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you._

Her voice cracked slightly on the last word and she had to choke back a sob once Rue's cannon rang out. "We better get going," Gale's voice came softly, "They're going to want to retrieve the body."

Quinn nodded her head in agreement but couldn't bring herself to move. She felt Gale's hand on her shoulder and she nodded, reluctantly lifting Rue's head off her lap and gently setting it back down on the grass. Gale offered his hand to help her up, which she took, but she stopped when Gale tried to lead her away. He looked back at her, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She sniffled and picked up her jacket, looking back at Rue, "There's something I want to do first."

She walked over to the bank of wildflowers that grew near the tree they had hid behind and began picking some flowers, beautiful shades of violet, yellow, and white. She picked as many as she could before walking back over to Rue's side. She knelt back down beside her and slowly started to decorate her body in the flowers one stem at a time. She made sure to cover the ugly wound first, then wreathing her face with the white flowers, weaving her hair with the yellow and violet. At least she was in a better place now.

She was only vaguely aware that Gale had dropped down to his knees too and had started to pick up some of the flowers to help her. His fingers were still full of Marvel's blood so they stained the flowers he touched. He swore under his breath and tossed away the flowers before wiping his hands on his pants. He started again and they continued on in silence.

The few birds that had been chirping rushed out of the treetops and Gale looked up at the sky, squinting as the sunlight hit his eyes. "The hovercraft's nearly here," he muttered, looking back at Quinn, "We should go." She silently nodded her head and kissed Rue's forehead one last time before pushing herself off her knees. She stepped back and took one last look at Rue. She looked so peaceful. It really looked as if she was just sleeping in the middle of the meadow.

"Bye, Rue," she whispered, Gale shortly following after. She pressed the three middle fingers of her left hand against her lips and held them out in her direction, Gale again following in her lead. Once the hum of the hovercraft could be heard, Gale slipped his hand in hers and held it firmly before leading her away. "This is all my fault," she whispered as they walked, "I never should have told her to leave."

"You were just doing what you thought was best for her." Gale said quietly, "You were getting her out of harm's way."

Quinn scoffed, her face still wet with tears, "No, I pushed her into harm's way, Gale! And now thanks to me, she's dead! Rue's dead because of me!"

"Hey, hey, hey," he stopped in front of her and forced her to look up at him, "You are not responsible, okay? Clove and Cato are. They're the ones who killed her, not you."

"I might as well have, I'm the one who led her into their trap." she muttered.

"Quinn, stop beating yourself up over this," he commanded before pulling her into his chest with his good arm, "you didn't know Cato and Clove were so close by and if you had, you sure as hell wouldn't have let Rue anywhere near them."

* * *

><p>After about an hour of walking, they came across one of the many streams in the arena. Upon seeing the water, Quinn began tugging Gale over to it, beckoning him to sit down once they reached the edge. She sat down next to him and ordered him to take off his jacket, "We need to clean that," she said, referring to the large wound that started at his shoulder and ended at his elbow. He obediently complied and let out a sharp gasp as he tried to shrug off his jacket. Quinn immediately helped him with it, taking as much care for his injury as she could.<p>

"Does it hurt a lot?" she asked softly, gently cutting the fabric of his shirt that had plastered itself into his wound with her knife.

"No, not really," he said through gritted teeth, wincing in pain as he moved his arm just a little. She shook her head and winced as she saw just how deep the cut was. Right down to the bone.

"No need to play the tough guy, it's okay to say that it hurts." she said as she pulled out her water bottle from her pack and then proceeded to pour the water over his wound. He hissed for a moment at the contact but then relaxed a little as she gingerly washed the dirt from his wound. Once that was done with, she rummaged through the first-aid kit that Gale had swiped from Marvel. There was pretty much the basic stuff: bandages, fever pills, and medicine to calm stomachs. She looked back at Gale's wound and bit her lip, "Let's give it some time to air out before I bandage it up, okay?"

Gale nodded, "Fine with me. We should probably get going anyways, we're going to need to find somewhere to camp soon."

"Maybe downstream?" Quinn suggested as she stood up, gathering up all their belongings as she did so, "We're going to need to hide out somewhere since trees are out of the question with your arm messed up and sleeping on the ground is too risky."

Gale nodded his head in agreement and threw his pack over his good shoulder, "Yeah, and we're going to need to hunt soon. I'll-"

"Don't worry about that," Quinn said, cutting him off, "I'll take care of the hunting."

He started to protest but Quinn just threw him one of those looks of hers and he immediately stopped talking.

* * *

><p>They ended up settling down in one of the cave like structures that some of the rocks made some twenty yards away. Once they settled down, Quinn pulled out the first aid kit and began bandaging up Gale's arm. "Is that too tight?" she asked when she finished.<p>

He shook his head, "It's fine."

"Good," she pushed herself off her knees and picked up her bow and the quiver of arrows, "Now to grab some dinner. I won't be long and I won't go far," she reassured when she noticed the uncertainty in his eyes.

It was nearly sunset when she walked out of the cave and made a mental note to come back before it got dark for fear of Gale losing it and trying to hunt her down if she took too long. She crossed the stream by hopping from rock to rock before disappearing into the woods. Within twenty minutes, she ended up catching two rabbits. Wanting to get back to Gale, she figured she would stop while she was ahead and head back while there was still light out.

As she walked, she came across a bush full of berries, the kind of berries that Rue introduced her to. The very thought of Rue made Quinn's stomach drop uncomfortably. She could feel her bottom lip start to quiver and she quickly started taking in deep breaths, doing everything to hold back the tears that suddenly threatened to fall. She hated crying. She really did. But what she hated most was the fact that probably all of Panem was watching as she tried to keep it together. Those in the Capitol were probably taking bets to see if she broke down or not. She sniffled and quickly started to make her way back towards Gale as if it would help her get away from the prying eyes of Panem. Her eyes quickly filled with water and were soon overflowing, but she did not allow herself to cry. Crying just made everything worse. It never did any good, no matter what people may say.

She looked up at the sky, hoping to push back her tears where they came from. That's when she saw it. A small parachute floating down towards her. Once it was close enough, she reached up and grabbed it, mentally praying that it was some kind of medicine for Gale's wound. She quickly opened the little container to see that it wasn't. Instead, what she got was a packet of tissues.

She picked up the packet and noticed that there was a small note attached to it, which read: _Thought you could use these, since I'm not able to dry your tears myself- Sam._

Quinn reread the note twice to ensure that she was reading it correctly. Sam had given her tissues? It wasn't really heard of, district members giving other district tributes gifts. She stared at Sam's note and as she took in his elegant script, she could only think of one thing: Gale.

Although it was a kind gesture, she couldn't help but feel bad about receiving a gift from Sam. It was obvious that he had feelings for her and she was definitely flattered by it but it felt like she was cheating on Gale in some weird way. It was preposterous to feel that way, since they weren't together in that way and probably wouldn't ever be. As she continued to walk back to the stream, Sam's packet of tissues still unopened in her left hand, she started to wonder if two other people had been reaped into the Games, would fate of been kind enough to bring her and Gale together anyways. Even though they went to school together, she had only ever interacted with Gale that one time. And right now, had it not been for the Games, Gale would have been forced to start work in the mines, seeing as how he was of age. Would they have ever gotten to know each other or would they have remained strangers? Despite the fact they were thrown together in the worst possible setting, Quinn was incredibly grateful to have Gale in her life. Especially right now.

* * *

><p>By the time she got back to the cave, the sun had long disappeared and the moon took it's place. She made her way into the cave and instead of Gale sitting down and resting like she had hoped, she returned to find him pacing the cave like a madman. He sharply turned his head upon hearing her and stared at her in disbelief, "Where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I've been? I'd really like to congratulate you for officially driving me insane!"<p>

Quinn couldn't help but chuckle at his last remark, "Sorry, Gale. I promise it won't happen again." He grumbled a response under his breath.

"Stop your grumbling and smile, look what I got," she held up the two rabbits she had caught, "I hope your hungry."

Gale gave a slight grimace and shook his head, "I think I'll pass."

Her face fell, "What?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Gale, you haven't eaten since early this morning and even then you didn't eat much. Come here," she beckoned him to her and he reluctantly walked over to her. She pushed herself onto her toes and put her hand to his forehead. "You're burning up!" she exclaimed, quickly taking her hand away before walking over to their supplies, digging through the first aid kit to get the pills that reduced one's temperature.

"I don't need those," Gale said with a shake of his head, "I'm fine, really. I've just been pacing a lot, worrying makes me sweat."

Quinn rolled her eyes and put them in his hand, "A likely story, now take these."

He sighed heavily before throwing them back in his mouth and swallowing them in one loud gulp. She put back the rest of the pills and closed the lid of the first aid kit before setting up her sleeping bag.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Gale questioned.

She shook her head, "I'll save the rabbit for tomorrow, I still have the beef strips and crackers in my pack. I'm not really that hungry."

Once her sleeping bag was all set up, she beckoned Gale over with her finger, "Come on, get in."

Gale shook his head, "It's yours, you sleep in it."

"It's more comfortable than the ground," she argued, "And you really need to get some rest, that's the only way you're going to feel better."

"Fine, we'll share it." Gale muttered, kicking off his boots.

"I'm fine thanks, with your fever you'll get too hot. This thing absorbs heat and locks it in. If the two of us sleep in it together, we'll roast each other."

"I can handle a little warmth," Gale said, reaching out for her with his good arm and pulling her to him, "Now are you going to do as I ask, or just be your stubborn self?"

Quinn snorted, reluctantly shimmying in the sleeping bag with him, "You're one to talk. You're the epitome of stubbornness." Gale just scowled causing Quinn to chuckle.

* * *

><p>Quinn ended up not sleeping as much as she would've liked. She couldn't stop thinking about Gale. She had realized it yesterday, after receiving Sam's gift that she was in love with Gale. Now maybe deep down, a part of her already knew that she loved him but now she was able to come to terms with it. She wasn't in denial anymore and she had no desire to push her feelings for him aside, instead, she wanted to express them. She wanted to tell him exactly how she felt. She owed it to herself to tell him. She wanted to be honest with him, then maybe, he would finally be honest with her.<p>

She was currently out by the stream, dipping her toes in the water, letting her skin soak up the sun's early morning rays. She kept her bow and arrows beside her, just in case something were to happen though.

"You really need to stop with this disappearing act,"

Quinn looked over her shoulder to see Gale standing behind her, an unpleasant expression on his face. He started to walk over to her and shook his head, "You scared the crap out of me for the second time in a single twenty-four hour period. I hope you're happy."

She stood up and smiled apologetically up at him, "I'm sorry. How's your arm feeling today?"

He gave a small shrug, "Alright, I guess. There wasn't really a big difference."

She pushed herself up on her toes and touched his forehead, "Well, you aren't as warm as you were last night. That's a good sign. Now let's change your bandages. I'll go get them."

"You really don't need to do that, they're fine." he assured.

Quinn looked back at him and shook her head, "Gale, they're soaked through with blood, they need to be changed."

"Gale, can I talk to you for a minute?" Quinn asked as she re-bandaged his wound.

He chuckled, "Isn't that what we're doing?"

"Well, I need to talk to you about something important," she whispered, putting the finishing touches on his arm before deeming it done.

Gale looked at her oddly and pushed himself away from the boulder he had been leaning against, "What about?"

"You. Me…Us." she said quietly, avoiding his gaze as she put back the rest of the bandages in their first aid kit.

His jaw tightened momentarily, "What about us?"

"Gale, I have something to tell you-"

"Wait," Gale held up his hand, silencing her, "I know what you're going to say…don't."

Quinn arched her eyebrow, "You have no idea what I'm going to say Gale Hawthorne!"

Gale scoffed, "Don't I? Dammit, Quinn! We've had this argument a million times already, why don't you just drop it?"

She folded her arms across her chest, "What exactly do you think I'm talking about?"

Gale rolled his eyes, "Just forget, Quinn. I'm in no mood to argue today."

She stared at him in disbelief, "I can't believe you! Here I am trying to tell you something _very_ important and there you are pushing me away yet again for no reason! You're unbelievable!"

"I'm unbelievable?" he repeated incredulously, "You're the one who's-"

Gale was then interrupted by the sound of Claudius Templesmith's voice suddenly booming down from overhead. The two tore their gazes off each other and stared up at the sky, just as Claudius congratulated the six remaining tributes. He then started to go off on a tangent which Quinn kind of tuned out. She looked back at Gale and took a deep breath, "Gale…"

Gale reluctantly looked back at her, "What?"

"I love you."

"_And now, listen closely tributes, there has been a rule change in this year's Hunger Games, I repeat, there has been a rule change in this year's Games."_

Gale's eyes darkened, "What did you just say?"

Quinn sighed, "I said-"

"_The new rule is as follows: Two tributes from the same district may be declared victors if they are the last two tributes remaining. I repeat, two tributes from the same district may be declared victors if they are the last two tributes remaining. Which means that there may be two crowned victors during these Hunger Games. That is all. And may the odds be ever in your favor, tributes!" _

"What did you just say?" Gale asked again once Claudius' voice disappeared.

Quinn started shaking her head, "Just forget it. Did you hear what Claudius said?"

"I'm more interested in what you just said right now," he said roughly, "Now tell me what did you just say?"

"I just said that I loved you!" she exclaimed, "And I know this is inevitably going to result in someone getting hurt but I don't care, I would rather be with you for a short amount of time then not all. I love you."

His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion as if she had just spoken another language to him, "I don't…what do you mean…" he was at a loss for words. He stared at her for the longest time, as if he was trying to decode what she had just said.

"Gale," she whispered, waving her hand back and forth in front of his face, "Earth to Gale."

"Why would you say that?" Gale asked, his grey eyes blazing.

"What?" she looked up at him in confusion, "_Do you think I'm lying?"_

He started to shake his head, "I thought we agreed not to go into this territory!"

"I never agreed to anything!" she all but yelled, "You decided that all on your own! You know what, I never should have said a damn thing. In fact, I take it back, I don't love you!"

"God, why did you have to do this?" Gale yelled in frustration, chucking a nearby stone into the water, "We can't _ever _be together so why would you say something like that?" he demanded, looking back at her for an answer.

Quinn shook her head in disbelief, a small scoff coming from her, "Gale! Didn't you hear a word that Claudius Templesmith said? There's been a change in the rules!" she cupped his face and brought him down to her height, forcing him to stare into her eyes, "There can be _two_ victors."

She then released his face and he straightened back up, his grey eyes still searching hers.

"You and I, we could win this thing, Gale." she whispered, her eyes still on him, "We can both survive this. We could go home. Together. Neither one of us has to say goodbye, Gale. Not ever."

She barely had time to process anything before his lips was on her. His kiss didn't start off gentle or soft. It was fierce and passionate, all consuming. She slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him down more towards her height, inadvertently deepening their kiss as she did so. She didn't think it was possible, but as they kissed, she completely forgot where she was. All thoughts of the arena, of the Careers, of everything escaped her. All she could think about was Gale. And how amazing it felt to be kissing him. He tasted like the woods, like the outdoors, like the trees, like everything she loved back home.

His hands cupped her face and slowed their kiss to a gentle, loving caress that spoke words that had yet to be uttered between the two. He gently sucked on her bottom lip before running his tongue across it and slipping his tongue back into her mouth. Their movements slowed as they began to savor one another. The only real reason they pulled apart was due to their lack of oxygen. His forehead rested against hers as they both caught their breath, his eyes piercing hers. She touched the side of his face, brushing her thumb across his cheek before brining him down for another kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, onto serious business...who watched Glee on Tuesday? Aggah, so much awesomness in one day I think I blew a fuse! The first episode was amazing, Dianna as Sugar was like the cutest thing ever! And don't get me started with Finn and Puck as Kurt and Blaine...ohmygod. Hilarious! I can't believe next week is the season finale already! I know I'm going to cry, I mean, I started freaking out when I saw the promo! I mean, it's like I'm graduating with them, since I'm graduating in a few weeks, which just makes it all so bittersweet. Wah...I don't want it to end! (Glee I mean, high school can end all it wants) lol.<strong>

**Anyone see Punk'd, with Liam Hemsworth on Thursday? Well, just let me say: Cheese and crackers! That boy is sexy when he's angry. Whoo…don't even get me started. lol**

**Anyways, enough with my ramblings.**

**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I know I say this on like every chapter, but whatever I mean it and it's the truth. Big Big thanks to everyone who reviews! I've very happy that everyone is liking the story so much! I could go on and on about how it means so much to me (Which it does) but you all don't want to read about that. You want to read this chapter, I know. **

**There's no death in this chapter, so it shouldn't be as depressing as the last one. This is mostly Quinn/Gale fluff if anything. So go on, read. enjoy. review!**

* * *

><p>Quinn couldn't help but feel like a goofy smile was creeping onto her face when she finally pulled away from Gale. She bit her lip to contain it though and reluctantly looked back up at him to see his reaction. His eyes fluttered open at that moment and his eyes found hers again. He lifted up his hand and his thumb began tracing the lines of her jaw, "This feels like a dream. A really, cruel dream."<p>

Her heart hammered against her ribcage as she placed her hand over his, keeping it there. "I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time," he continued, his thumb now ghosting over her bottom lip, "And now that it's happened, it doesn't feel real, you know?"

She nodded, her smile slightly fading as his hand dropped back down to his side, "But if this had been a dream, don't you think we both would've woken up by now? I mean, good dreams always end before you want them to."

"Don't I know it," he murmured before leaning back down to her height and capturing her lips once again. His hand went to the back of her neck, gently tilting her head back to deepen their kiss just as braced herself against his shoulders, momentarily forgetting to be careful with his arm. She felt his body tense up momentarily and she quickly pried her lips away from his. She looked up at him apologetically, "I'm so sorry, did I hurt you?"

He shook his head and assured her that he was fine before leaning back down to kiss her once more. She quickly pressed her finger against his lips though, causing him to still before straightening back up. "Now I know I'm kissable but take it easy tiger," she joked, "Take a breather."

A small smile appeared on his face, "Sorry."

"You know I've never been kissed before today," she shyly admitted, "And I've got to say it was a pretty amazing first kiss. Much more amazing than I ever thought possible." she said with a slight giggle.

"It was my first kiss too," he said, his grey eyes sparkling in the light.

She arched her eyebrow in surprise, "Really?"

He looked down at her and nodded, "Yeah. Why the tone of surprise?"

"It's just," she laughed embarrassedly, "well cause you're awfully good at it. Kissing, I mean. I just assumed that you've had lots of practice."

He chuckled, "Yeah, I haven't had any practice whatsoever."

"Are you sure about that?"

Gale nodded, a smile creeping onto his face, "Yeah, I'm positive. Unless I'm compulsively kissing people in my sleep or something."

She caressed the hairs on the back of his neck and sighed, "I love your smile."

He looked down at her oddly, "Why? It's nothing special."

She shook her head, "But it is. It's a rare thing to come by. Seeing a smile on your face is like seeing an eclipse or something." And with that remark, his smile quickly faded away. She playfully glared at him for it, "Hey, I want that smile back."

"So did you mean what you said?" he asked, his eyes searching hers. She frowned for a moment but then realized what he was talking about. She nodded her head, "Yeah. I love you, Gale."

"I love you too," he whispered, resting his forehead back against hers, "Ever since I first laid eyes on you."

She shook her head in disbelief and let out a short laugh, "And you couldn't have told me sooner?"

"I told you, I'm not any good at expressing my feelings. Besides I just thought it would easier if we left it alone. But that was when I thought there could only be one victor. Now that there can be two, I don't have to hold anything back. I don't have to push you away anymore."

She gently kissed his chin, "Good."

He nuzzled her nose and sighed, "I'm sorry for all the pain that I've caused you throughout this whole ordeal, I should've handled it better. But like I said, I haven't had any experience with girls before-"

She shook her head and cupped his face, "All in the past. What matters is that you and I are both still alive and now we're finally together."

He nodded in agreement, his fingers caressing the side of her face, "I don't intend on ever letting you go, even after the Games are over with."

She pecked his lips chastely and smiled, "I'm going to hold you to that."

He leaned into her and just as his lips brushed against hers, Quinn heard a small thud before Gale swore loudly. She opened her eyes to see a small silver parachute now in Gale's hand.

"What great timing." he grumbled irritably, rubbing his head with his free hand, "And what great aim too."

She just laughed and eagerly took the container from him. She really hoped Sue had come through with some kind of medicine for Gale's injuries. She quickly unscrewed the top and peered inside.

"What is it?"

Quinn's smile faded when she realized what it was. "It's lamb stew." She untied the small note that was attached to the container and read it to herself, _Your sappiness is disgusting. It makes me want to vomit…but keep it up - Sue._

"What we really needed was some medication Sue," Quinn said rather loudly before staring up at the sky, hoping the cameras caught her displeased reaction, "Just saying."

"Take it easy, Quinn," Gale said as he screwed the lid back on the container, "My arm's doing fine. I don't need any medicine. I'd much rather have this lamb stew."

She looked back at him in disbelief, "You say that but look at your arm!" she pointed to his bandaged arm, "I _just_ changed your bandages and now look at them, they're already soaked through with blood! Not to mention your shoulder's still messed up, as well as your collarbone."

Gale fought the urge to roll his eyes, "It's not that big of a deal."

She huffed in frustration, "You are such a…such a…guy!"

Gale looked at her with an amused expression before breaking out into laughter, "Uh yeah, I am. I rather like that about myself. Don't you?"

She glared at him before walking away from him, back towards the cave, "Not what I meant!"

* * *

><p>"Hey, take it easy."<p>

"See! I told you! Didn't I tell you? This is _really _bad, Gale!"

They were both back in the cave, with Gale sitting down on the sleeping bag, while Quinn was freaking out about his wound as she removed his old bandages.

"Quinn, really, it's not as bad as your making it out to be," he said quietly, his fingers swiping away the few tears that were trickling down her cheek.

She shook her head, her gaze on his discolored shoulder. How drastically it had worsened since she had last changed his bandages, which hadn't been that long ago! "Don't try and sugarcoat this, Gale! I know what blood poisoning is! Damn it!" her voice cracked. The only thing that would be able to cure blood poisoning would be some strong anti-infection drugs from the Capitol. Things like that cost a fortune. Even if they had a few sponsors, there was no way they could possibly have enough to send them some.

"Really, I'm fine, Quinn. I'm not in any serious pain," he reassured, leaning forward and kissing her cheek, "It's just a little sore. That's it. Honestly, I hardly feel a thing."

"That's just making me worry even more, Gale!" She pressed her hand to his forehead and quickly dropped it before scrambling for her pack, "You're still really warm, Gale. Here." she took out the fever pills and handed him two. He reluctantly took them and then took a swig from his bottle. She put the rest of the pills back in her pack and as she did, she came across the burn ointment Sue had sent her. "Let's try this," she said, pulling the little container out of her pack, "Maybe this will help with the infection."

Gale took the container from her and popped off the lid before sniffing it, "What is it?"

"Burn ointment, the one Sue sent me. Maybe it will help with the infection." she repeated, scooping up some of the substance with her finger.

"It's not going to do any good, Quinn." he replied, putting the container down beside him.

"Well, it won't hurt to try, now will it? It's the only thing we have." she said softly, gently rubbing some of it over a small patch of his wound. "Does it sting or anything?"

He shook his head, "No, it's a little cool though. Feels nice."

She began adding more to his shoulder, "Maybe it will help your fever go down."

Gale leaned back against the cave wall, relaxing a little bit, "Who's left again?"

She wiped her finger on her jacket and put away the ointment, "Cato, Clove, the girl from Five-"

"Foxface."

She arched her eyebrow, looking back at him oddly.

"That's what I call her," he explained, "I mean, she looks like a fox in my opinion."

She just shrugged, "Anyways, her, the boy from Ten, Thresh, and then you and me."

Gale nodded, "That's seven."

Quinn nodded, "Yeah, only five tributes keeping us from going back home."

"If we're lucky they'll all kill each other and we won't have to do a thing."

She sighed, "That's not going to happen in a million years. Everyone wants another bloodbath."

"Yeah, with us in the center of it," he muttered.

"Let's not think about that now. Here, have some of this stew before it gets cold." she picked up the container of stew and the spoon that had come attached to it and opened it up. She then moved around before sitting on his lap.

Gale shook his head once the aroma of the stew filled his nose, "I'm really hungry, you eat it."

"I'm not really hungry either," she admitted, looking down at the substance that she once thought was heaven on earth.

"Quinn, you need to eat" Gale said sternly, "You haven't eaten at all today."

"Not true," she replied, "I had some dried fruit. But you on the other hand, haven't had a thing and you really need to eat." she scooped up a spoonful of stew, "Open your mouth."

"I haven't got any appetite right now," he sharply turned his head away.

She glared at him, "Your body's weak enough as it is, Gale. You need to have something in your system."

"I'm fine." he said stubbornly, moving his face farther away as she put the spoon in front of him.

She huffed in frustration, setting the container down, "What will it take for you to eat some of that damn stew?"

His eyes sparkled even through the darkness of the cave, "I think some kissing will bring back my appetite."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes, "One kiss is all you're going to get until you eat, okay?"

He nodded, his good arm snaking around her waist just as she cupped his face with her hands. She leaned down and softly captured his lips with hers. She could feel him smiling against her lips and practically purring in content when she deepened their kiss a little. She caressed his cheek before slowly pulling away. "Okay, no more until-" she was cut off by Gale's lips crashing back onto hers, pulling her back in before gently rolling her over so that she was lying on the sleeping bag beneath him. Needless to say, Gale got many more kisses than just that intended one.

* * *

><p>"I hope your happy now," Quinn mumbled a little breathlessly when Gale finally pried his lips from hers, "The stew's probably cold by now."<p>

He just laughed and nuzzled the crook of her neck, lightly nipping at the skin, "That's too bad."

"You should sit back down," she advised, noticing how he was propping himself up on his good arm to keep his weight off of his bad arm. He nodded in agreement and reluctantly rolled off of her. She moved back in a sitting position and touched her lips, which felt like they'd been through the ringer. She looked back at Gale, "Are your lips sore?"

Gale looked back at her, a boyish smirk on his face, "Why, are yours?"

She could feel cheeks start to warm up, "Maybe…I mean…well, I'm not used to so much kissing."

Gale chuckled and pulled her back in his arms, "You're adorable, you know that?" he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "But you know what helps sore lips?"

She shook her head, "No, what?"

He nuzzled her nose, "More kissing."

She laughed and scooted out of his arms, "Yeah, I don't think so. No more kisses for you, Gale Hawthorne. You've had enough to last you a lifetime."

"But kissing is good medicine," he replied, pulling her back, "I already feel much better. A few more and I'm bound to be good as new."

She sighed, "You are very convincing, you know that?"

Gale smiled proudly.

"But unfortunately…" she touched her nose to his, "not convincing enough."

His face fell and she took this moment of shock to shimmy out of his arms.

She pushed herself into a standing position and dusted off her pants, "I'll be right back, I'm going to heat up the stew."

Gale immediately set out to stand up as well, "Don't make a fire. It's not worth the risk."

"Fine then," she put down the container and instead picked up her bow and arrow, "I'll just go hunting instead."

"Fine, but I'm going with you," he said gruffly, pushing himself up onto his feet.

"I'll be fine," she reassured, swinging the quiver of arrows over her shoulder, "You need to stay here and rest anyways. I won't be long, promise."

"That's what you said last time," he grumbled, taking her free hand in his own before leading her out of the cave.

* * *

><p>Quinn bent down and picked up the groosling she had just killed. "Nice shot," Gale commented as she retracted the arrow from the bird's eye. She handed the bird back to Gale, who then attached it to his belt. She wiped the arrow clean on the grass before stringing it back on the bow, "Can I ask you something?"<p>

He smiled, "You just did."

She rolled her eyes and they continued walking through the woods together. "Did you really know right away?" she looked up at Gale expectantly.

He looked down at her, "That I loved you? Yeah." he said with a nod of his head.

Quinn pursed her lips together, "But how? I mean, how can you know you love someone just by looking at them?"

He shrugged, "When I first saw you, I thought…well, this may sound corny, but I thought you were an angel. Maybe it was the way your hair glowed in the sunlight, or the way your eyes always had this sparkle to them-"

Her face fell a little, "So you fell for me because you just thought I was pretty?"

He looked back at her and shook his head, "That's not why I fell for you, Quinn. I mean, yes, you're beautiful, but I fell for you because I took one look at you and for the first time I felt hope."

She stopped walking and he sat down on a fallen tree trunk a few feet away, "I had just lost my family and I didn't think life was ever going to get better for me." she sat down next to him, listening intently, "I figured I would be reaped in the Games eventually since the odds hadn't ever been in my favor, and I thought if that didn't happen, I would just end up working for the rest of my life in the mines like my father did. But then I saw you," his eyes met hers again, "and for the first time, I thought maybe it doesn't have to be that way. Maybe I don't have to spend the rest of my life in wallowing in darkness."

She sniffled a little,, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. Her gaze drifted down to their hands which had become interlocked without her notice. "We always hold hands, have you noticed that?".

He looked down at their hands and nodded before kissing her hair, "Less likely to lose you if I don't let go".

Quinn stood up and walked in between his open legs, cupping his face before kissing him softly. "I really do love you" she whispered when they parted.

"I know that" he said quietly, his hands resting on her hips.

"Just making sure," she said with a small sigh, "I don't ever want you to think that my feelings are fake. You know, just a ploy to get sponsors or something. Cause I would never do something like that to you."

Gale nodded and kissed the inside of her wrist, "I know and I would never do anything like that to you either."

She nodded, "I know." she kissed both of his cheeks, "We should probably get back to the cave."

He nodded his head in agreement and stood back up. She picked up her bow and slipped her hand back in his before they continued walking.

* * *

><p>By the time they had reached the stream near their cave, the sun had already set and nightfall had taken over. "I'm pretty sure the days are getting shorter" Quinn muttered, her gaze on sky above them as Gale refilled their water bottles.<p>

"Gamemakers are probably anxious to get things rolling again," he replied, adding a few drops of iodine to their bottles, "We're going to have to save the groosling for tomorrow. I don't want to risk a fire now. It will be too easily noticeable."

Quinn nodded her head in agreement and put the iodine away, "Well, it's a good thing I collected these berries. And I still have some beef strips in my pack. That should hold us off until morning."

"And if it doesn't, we still have the lamb stew" he reminded. They both looked at each other and shared a slight grimace at the thought of eating it cold.

Just then the Capitol anthem blared throughout the arena, causing Gale and Quinn to look up at the sky. They both frowned when they saw the portrait of the boy from District Ten looming in the sky before slowly fading away.

"I didn't hear his cannon go off," Gale said with a slight frown before looking back at Quinn, "Did you?"

She shook her head, her gaze now on the Capitol seal that had replaced the boy's picture, "It must've gone off while we were…making out." She could feel her cheeks heat up again.

He sighed when the seal disappeared and everything went back to being quiet, "I had a feeling he'd be the next one to go."

He looked down at Quinn and smiled, "Speaking of us making out-"

She immediately stepped away from him, "Get that look out of your eyes, Hawthorne."

He shook his head as he chuckled, "No. I'll behave, don't you worry. I just wanted to apologize for you umm…well your…" he started rubbing the back of his neck before breaking out into laughter.

She arched her eyebrow, "For what?"

He dropped his hand and smiled, "Well, I think I got a little too enthusiastic while we were kissing…."

"You mean while you were ravishing me with kisses" she muttered, her hand rubbing her neck which for some reason felt a little sore. Just then a thought occurred to her and she immediately dropped her hand. She looked up at Gale expectantly, who merely smiled at her.

Her eyes widened in horror, "You didn't! Please tell me you didn't!"

She quickly turned around and dropped down to her knees to look at her reflection in the water. She couldn't see much, even with the moonlight above them, but she was almost positive that _they_ were there. No wonder her neck felt sore!

"I'm sorry, Quinn…"

"You are not sorry!" she exclaimed, quickly turning around to face him, "In fact you're still laughing!"

Gale walked up to her, trying to suppress any more laughter, "Well, it is a little funny, Quinn."

She huffed in frustration, her hand still on her neck, "There is nothing funny about hickeys!"

"The word itself is funny," Gale said with a slight smirk, "just call them love bites."

She lightly smacked his chest, "I look like a leper thanks to you!"

This had to be the most mortified she'd ever been. Her face was probably beet red right now. Her mother, her siblings, everyone she knew back home were watching this! If she made it out alive, there was no doubt that Rachel and Finn would tease her about this for as long as they all lived. She hastily pulled her hair out of it's ponytail, shook her hair out and situated it so that it covered up at least some of the marks.

Gale leaned down and kissed her temple, "You're over exaggerating, Quinn. They're not that bad. Not even noticeable. If it helps, you can bite me as many times as you want."

She scoffed, "Yeah, right. You'd like that!" she looked back up at him and put her hands on her hips, "Truthfully Gale, how many did you give me?"

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "A lot."

She glared at him, "If I had any sense, I'd push you in that stream right now."

He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and grinned, "You didn't seem to mind it when we were kissing in the cave."

Quinn frowned, "Gale, are you sweating?"

"Probably overdid it with all the laughing," he replied, rather breathlessly.

"Let's get you back in the cave," she said softly, her voice laced with concern, "You don't look too well."

He scoffed and reluctantly allowed her to lead him back inside, "Jee, thanks."

She frowned, "No, I'm serious, Gale. I told you, you need to take it easy if you're going to get even remotely better."

He winced in pain as he sat back down, "Yeah, I know. You've only told me a dozen times already, Quinn."

"Well, you still don't listen. I'll be right back, I'm going to dunk your old shirt in some water, okay?" She pecked his lips before she headed back outside to the stream.

* * *

><p>She returned a few moments later and put the wet cloth on his forehead but frowned when it warmed up almost as soon as it touched his skin. "Okay, maybe going with you to hunt wasn't the best idea," Gale muttered, his eyes closing wearily.<p>

"I shouldn't have let you come with me," she said quietly with a shake of her head, "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," he whispered, letting out a small groan when he shifted in his place, "I should've just taken it easy like you said. Didn't think my energy would disappear so fast. I feel like hell now."

"The good thing is that you're not bleeding like crazy anymore," she said, her gaze drifting to his bandaged wound, which hadn't soaked through with blood.

"That's good, I guess," he muttered.

She looked at him and quickly pushed herself off the ground, "I'm going to cook that groosling. I don't care, you need something in your system to keep your strength up." She snatched the bird up and picked up the matches from inside her pack.

But just as she poked her head outside, thunder crackled above her head and Quinn looked up to see lightening striking the sky. She swore loudly when a few seconds later, the rain started to pour down. _Perfect timing Gamemakers, she thought to herself, Perfect timing. _There was no way she was going to be able to start a fire now. She sighed heavily and turned on her heel, walking back over to Gale. "It's fine, Quinn." Gale reassured when she sat down next to him.

She just nodded as she stuffed the matches back into her pack, "I know, it's just lucky we have that lamb stew."

Gale grimaced, "You aren't going to make me eat that cold, are you?"

"Sorry, Gale," she gave him a kiss on the lips before opening up the container of stew, "But you need food, so you're going to eat it all up, every last drop of it."

He sighed heavily, "Is this punishment for giving you all those hickeys?"

She smiled and put the spoon up to his lips, "No. And they're _love bites_, remember?"

He playfully rolled his eyes before opening his mouth and taking in the cold stew. He made a face before swallowing it.

She chuckled, "That gross, huh?"

He shook his head, taking the spoon from her with his good hand, "It's not that bad."

She arched her eyebrow, "So I'm not going to have to force fed you?"

He glared at her before taking another spoonful into his mouth.

She smiled, "It seems you were hungrier than you thought. Huh?"

"Do you feel a little better?" Quinn asked when Gale finished up the lamb stew.

He nodded and handed her back the empty container, "Yeah."

"That's good," she put her hand over his forehead and sighed when she found that he was still really warm. He yawned and blinked his eyes wearily.

She put the container aside and opened up the sleeping bag, "I think it's time for you to get some sleep."

"It's time for _both_ of us to get some sleep," he corrected.

She shook her head, "I'm not that tired. Besides, someone needs to keep watch."

"I think we'll be fine if we both sleep tonight," he replied, beckoning for her to get in the sleeping bag, "You need sleep just as much as I do."

She reluctantly slid into the sleeping bag with him. She curled up to his good side and buried her face into his chest, trying to absorb every ounce of his fever heat. She felt him kiss her forehead, "Goodnight, Quinn."

She smiled and kissed his chest, "Goodnight, Gale."

Quinn practically jumped at the sound of the trumpets that blared the next morning. It took a few moments for her and Gale to get their bearings but once they realized what was going on, they both ran to the mouth of the cave. Gale leaned against the cave wall when the sound of Claudius Templesmith's voice filled the arena. _"Congratulations tributes!" his voice echoed, "In honor of the final six, we have all decided to reward you all with a grand feast!"_

Gale snorted, "How exciting."

"_Now hold on. Some of you may already be declining my invitation." _

Quinn glanced back at Gale, who gave a small smile. Claudius must've heard his comment.

"_But this is no ordinary feast," Claudius assured, "Each of you needs something desperately."_

Quinn nodded. They did need something desperately. Or at least, _Gale_ needed something desperately.

"_Each of you will find that something in a backpack, marked with your district number, at the Cornucopia tomorrow at dawn. Think hard about refusing to show up. For some of you, this will be your last chance."_

There's nothing else after that and the silence returns.

Quinn looked back at Gale, who was shaking his head furiously, "I know what you're thinking and there is no way in hell-"

She folded her arms across her chest, "You have no idea what I'm thinking."

"You're thinking of going to that feast."

She remained silent.

"Exactly. But like I said before, there is no way you are going to it."

"I have to go!" she exclaimed, "You heard what Claudius said, there's something we need desperately at that Feast! There's something for your injury at that feast, Gale. I have to go and get it. I refuse to let you die."

He rolled his eyes, "I won't die, Quinn."

"If you continue on like this, you will, Gale! Look at your arm, I can see the infection traveling!"

Gale briefly looked down at his arm before looking back at Quinn, "If you go to that feast, I'm going with you."

She shook her head, "No way, Gale! Foxface, Thresh, Clove, and Cato, they're all going to be there too! You won't stand a chance against them with your arm."

"And you think you'll stand a chance against them?" he all but yelled, "You'll get yourself killed and I refuse to let that happen. I won't lose you. So either we both go or neither of us goes. Got that?"

She sighed, "Gale," she cupped his face and forced him to look into her eyes, "You aren't going to lose me. I promise you, I won't die."

He started shaking his head again, "You can't promise a thing like that Quinn, so don't."

She let go of his face, "Gale. I am going to that feast one way or another. I don't care what I have to do but it's going to happen. So you can either support me on this or prepared to get your ass kicked!" Gale just stared at her heatedly, his gaze unyielding.

"Fine!" she threw her hands up in frustration and stormed out of the cave, "Be stubborn!"

Quinn kicked a pebble in her path as she walked along the stream, still fuming. Why did Gale have to be so dang stubborn? She had to go to that feast. She just had to. If she didn't, it would only be a matter of days before the infection spread to Gale's lungs, or his heart, or even his brain. And then where would that leave her? Without the one she loved. And she'll be damned if she lost someone else she loved deeply.

She was so lost in thought that she hadn't even seen the parachute float by her. When she did though, she quickly set out to retrieve it. It landed in the water and began to float down the stream but she was quick enough and was able to catch it before it escaped her.

"Thank you, Sue. Thank you, Sue!" was all she chanted as she hopped out of the stream.

Gale's medicine! It had to be Gale's medicine. What else could it be? She quickly opened the small container to reveal an even smaller vial. A vial? She looked at it closely. It must be strong enough to cure Gale's blood poisoning. But the longer she looked at it, the more doubt began to fill her. She uncorked the vial and sniffed it. It had a sweet scent to it that she only ever identified with one thing.

Just to be sure though, she placed a droplet of the liquid on the tip of her tongue. Quinn shook her head in disbelief and stared up at the sky. _Really, Sue? She thought to herself, Really? Of all things to send us?_ _Sleep syrup? What the hell are we going to do with sleep syrup?_

She popped the top back on the vial and was just about to throw the vial back into the stream out of frustration when suddenly it hit her. Sleep syrup. It only took a small amount of it to knock out a person quicker than the snap of the fingers. If she could get Gale to ingest some of this stuff, she could go to the feast alone and not have to worry about him following her. It was perfect. Aside from medicine for Gale, it was just the thing she needed. She gazed up at the sky and smiled, "Thank you, Sue." She looked back at the vial and quickly placed it in her inside pocket. Now all she had to do was get Gale to drink some of it. Now that was going to be the tricky part.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Do I dare talk about Glee's season finale? *I nod my head* Yes I do because I feel like ranting right now. If you haven't seen the season finale and don't want to know what happens, don't you dare read this! Run! Flee! Go hide under your bed! (Or just go to some other page) Whatever's easier for ya...<strong>

**Anyways... I will not lie, that episode got me all teary eyed. Gah, it's probably because that's going to be me in a cap and gown in less than two weeks. Eep. Phew, but it was such a good episode. And I loved the whole thing with Puck and Quinn, because if you haven't realized by my pen name, I'm a Quick shipper. lol. My friend was like, "It only took a kiss from Quinn Fabray to get Puck to pass his test." And I'm like, yeah duh, because Quinn's just that epic. Of course her kisses have magic mojo. lol. I feel bad for Kurt though, but I kind of glad he didn't get into NYADA just so he can stay in Lima with Blaine. **

**And that ending with Finn and Rachel, I was like high five to those writers! Frankly because I didn't think it would be realistic if Rachel got into NYADA AND Finn got into the Actor's studio school, or then if they still went to NY even after Finn didn't get accepted, like Rachel said, it wouldn't be right. Even though it was a sad ending(at least for the season) for Finchel, it was definitely a good ending because it was the best thing for both of them. At least I think. I was with Quinn in thinking they shouldn't get married so quickly.**

**Now I need season four to start ASAP because I want to find out how they're going to balance the lives of those still at McKinley and those who graduated. Sigh, it hasn't even been a week and already I'm having glee withdrawls...Oh well, I've got the dvds, season three on my DVR, and a computer to read all the glee fanfics I want. I should be good until september. And if not, I've got an idea for another story I'm thinking of starting once I finish the two I'm currently working on. It may or may not be a Jacob/Quinn fic. lol IT WILL. **

**That pretty much wraps up my ranting for now. lol. You all probably think I'm a little crazy now. Oh well, that's okay! Anyways, what are all your thoughts on the season finale? Did ya like it, did you hate it?**

**Review please!**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Big thanks to those who reviewed on the last chapter! Read. Enjoy. Review!**

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><p>Quinn didn't sleep much that night, although Gale sure did. She stayed in the sleeping bag with him, curled up against his body, listening to his steady heart beat. When she heard the sounds of the birds chirping outside, she knew morning was soon on it's way. She carefully moved away from Gale's warm embrace. She quietly pulled the vial that Sue had given her out of her pack and uncorked the top. She glanced over at Gale to make sure he was still asleep before picking up the berries she had gathered earlier and mashing them up, adding a droplet of the sleep syrup to mask the sweet taste. She picked up the spoon that had come with the lamb stew before crawling back over to Gale with her little concoction.<p>

"Gale," she whispered softly, running her hand over his head. He was still very warm. "Gale," she whispered again, "Wake up." She leaned down and chastely brushed her lips against his. He shifted at this but still remained asleep. She sighed, leaning back down and kissing him a little deeper, playfully nipping at his bottom lip. She couldn't help but smile when she felt his good arm wrap around her, his lips now eagerly maneuvering against hers. She moved her legs on either side of his waist so that she straddled his hips, their lips still connected. "What a great wakeup call" he murmured against her lips, slowly pushing himself up in a sitting position.

"I thought you'd like it," she whispered, her hand sliding to his chest before she gently pushed him back down. She hovered over him and let her lips travel down to his chin before moving down further to his neck. He chuckled when he felt her gently nip at his skin, "Are you trying to get back at me for what I did to you earlier?"

She nodded and sucked on the crook of his neck until she was sure she left a mark, "You got it."

He smiled and brought her lips back to his. He slowly pulled away from her lips and looked at her expectantly, "Not that I mind any of this, but what brought this on?"

She shrugged, "You said kissing is good medicine, so I'm just trying to help you as much as I can."

He smirked and cupped her face with his good hand, intending to bring her lips back to his, but she put her finger to his lips, stopping him. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Before we continue any further, I think we should get some food in your system. To keep your strength up." she reached over and picked up her berry concoction and the spoon.

Gale arched his eyebrow, "And what is that exactly?"

She scooped up a spoonful, "Just some mashed up berries."

He looked down at them warily, "And where did you find those berries? Are you sure they're safe to eat."

She playfully rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't feed you something that could potential kill you, Gale."

He sighed and reluctantly opened his mouth, allowing her to feed him some. He swallowed without hesitation and licked his lips, "That's super sweet."

"Is it?" she said rather innocently before feeding him another spoonful, "They're just some sugar berries."

He swallowed again and his eyebrows furrowed, "Sugar berries?" he repeated, "I've never heard of them."

"Rue told me about them during training," she explained, wiping the bit of juice traveling down his chin, "I don't think they grow in District 12 though, so that's probably why you haven't heard about them."

Gale nodded, "They sure are sweet. Almost like syrup. Wait….syrup?"

Quinn watched as his grey eyes widened and she knew he had figured out what she had done.

"Dammit Quinn!" he yelled furiously, moving away from her and trying to spit up what he had just ingested. But it was too late, the sleep syrup was already kicking in, doing it's job, and Gale was already starting to lose consciousness.

She carefully moved him back onto the sleeping bag when he was completely knocked out. "I'm sorry, Gale." she whispered, leaning forward and kissing his forehead, "But don't worry, I'll be back to you in no time. Promise."

* * *

><p>She didn't waste time after that. She picked up her bow and quiver of arrows and headed out the cave. She left her knife with Gale just so that he would have some protection if he happened to wake up before planned. She munched on her beef strips as she walked downstream, trying to think of a game plan. Her ability to kill at a distance was her greatest asset, but she knew she'll have to go right into the thick of things to get that backpack for Gale. She knows for sure that she'll have to face either Cato or Clove, but she wasn't sure about Foxface since confrontation wasn't really her style. As for Thresh, she just really hoped she wouldn't have to face him. At least not yet, that is.<p>

She kept on glancing up at the sky, hoping that someone's face would pop up just so she would have one less opponent to face at the feast. But she knew that this time tomorrow, faces would be up there for sure. Feasts always resulted in fatalities.

By the time she reached the Cornucopia, it was already well into morning. She didn't hear any screams or see anyone nearby so she figured either she was the first to arrive or everyone else was just lurking, waiting for someone else to make the first move. She settled on the latter scenario and crouched down, camouflaging herself against some foliage. The Cornucopia was right in front of her, it's surface almost blinding thanks to the penetrating sunlight. There's a table near the mouth of it, with four backpacks laying on its surface. There were two large black ones with the number 2 and 11, a medium sized green one with the number 5 and an orange one that was marked 12.

The orange pack that was marked for District 12 was alarmingly small. It had to contain Gale's medicine. And if it didn't, she was pretty sure she would shoot someone. Her stomach dropped when she suddenly saw a figure dart out from the other side of the field. One look at the red mane and she immediately knew who it was. Foxface. She watched helplessly as the girl ran and snagged the green backpack before disappearing back between the trees. Dammit. Quinn's jaw tightened as she debated whether or not to go next. She nodded her head. Yes, she had to. It was time. It was either now or never.

Without hesitation, she sprinted for the table. She didn't dare look over her shoulder to see who else decided to come out in play. She couldn't afford to waste anymore time. Just as she made it halfway to the table, she heard the first knife come whizzing in on her right side but thankfully she was quick enough to deflect it with her bow. She should've known Clove would've been the first to go after her. She turned for a second, drawing back her bowstring and sending an arrow straight at Clove's heart. Clove swore loudly as the point punctured her upper left arm, but quickly threw another knife. Quinn hadn't been as quick to dodge it this time. This one caught her in the forehead, slicing above her right eyebrow, opening a gash and sending blood gushing down her face.

Quinn pushed her legs even faster and had just brushed her fingers against her orange backpack when she felt Clove's arms wrap around her legs, immediately bringing her down. Her chin slammed down onto the edge of the table, causing Quinn to involuntarily bite down on her tongue. The two of them fell to the ground and Quinn rolled away from Clove and managed to get back on her knees but Clove's arms wrapped around her and threw her back down, slamming her head back against the ground. Clove straddled her and pinned her shoulders to the ground with her knees while she opened her jacket, revealing an impressive array of knives.

"Where's pretty boy, huh Twelve?"

Quinn spit in her face and Clove made a noise of utter disgust, her face flushed with rage. She took this moment of weakness and slammed Clove onto her back, breaking her nose for good measure before hastily grabbing the orange back. "Not so fast, blondie," Clove growled. Quinn screamed when she felt something puncture the back of her leg and then realized it was one of Clove's knives. She hissed in pain when Clove dragged the knife down the length of her calf. "Let's see you try and run away from me now, you little bitch" Clove cackled as she retracted her knife. Quinn tried to push herself upright but her right leg immediately gave out on her. She gritted her teeth and continued to try and stand up. There was no way in hell she was letting Clove beat her.

Clove continued to cackle behind her and Quinn winced in pain when her hands threaded themselves in her hair, forcefully pulling her head back. Clove pulled Quinn's head back on her shoulder and pressed one of her knives to her throat, "I promised Cato if he let me have you, I'd give the audience a good show."

Quinn struggled against her hold but that just caused Clove to press her blade against her skin even more and she was pretty sure the blade had cut her skin. Clove laughed maniacally, "Forget it Twelve. We're going to kill you. Just like we killed that pathetic little girl from eleven. Your ally, right? Then we'll go after your pretty little boyfriend. It's such a shame he turned on us."

Clove slammed her back down on the ground and retracted her arm, the one with her knife, "Say goodbye, Blondie."

Quinn quickly wrapped her hands around Clove's wrist, trying to stop her from gouging out one of her eyes, but even though Clove was smaller than she was, she was incredibly strong. Her free hand struck her like a viper and wrapped around her throat, her nails digging into her skin. Quinn's grasp on Clove was shaky now and Clove was able to get her knife even closer to Quinn's face. The tip of the blade tickled the tip of her nose and Quinn started gasping for air, Clove's small hand cutting off her air supply.

Her grasp was getting weaker and weaker and the knife sliced through Quinn's cheek, but thankfully that hadn't been Clove's intent so it was sign that Clove was struggling. Quinn could feel her consciousness fading away as her air supply was cut off and her vision was slowly failing her, mostly from the blood gushing down into her right eye, but she could see Clove ready to make her final move. But miraculously, some great force yanked Clove off of her body and then suddenly Clove was screaming like a banshee. Quinn pushed herself onto her arms, wheezing and gasping for all the air her lungs could hold. She looked up to see who had saved her but she was blinded by the harsh sunlight. Was it Gale? It had to be Gale. No one else would save her but him. She wiped the blood out of her eye and looked to see that it wasn't Gale who had come to her rescue, but Thresh.

He had Clove dangling a foot off the ground, his massive hands wrapped around her throat. Quinn watched with wide eyes as he rammed Clove into the side of the Cornucopia with the force of an enraged bull. He does this repeatedly, slamming her against the Cornucopia as if she were nothing more than a rag doll.

"Cato! Cato!" is all Clove screeched for, her hands on Thresh's, trying to pry them off of her. But it's no use, he's three times her size. Without her knives, she was no match for him. Quinn watched in horror as Thresh dragged a barely conscious Clove over to a nearby boulder and slammed her skull against the rocky surface. Quinn shut her eyes at the sickening sound of Clove's head being smashed in. A cannon immediately went off.

When she reopened her eyes, she saw Thresh walking back towards her, Clove's lifeless body on the ground by the boulder. She swallowed hard, knowing that surely this was it. She couldn't run even if she wanted to and her bow had been knocked out of her reach during her struggle with Clove. "What did she mean about Rue being your ally?" Thresh demanded, his eyes blazing. Quinn had never heard him speak before so when he did, she practically jumped at the volume of his deep voice.

"I-I we teamed up. We blew up the Career's supplies. We tried to save her, Gale and I. But Cato and Clove had gotten to her while we were fighting off Marvel, the boy from District One."

"Quinn!"

Quinn's gaze quickly left Thresh's and her head whipped around to see Gale running towards them.

"Get away from her!" Gale roared when he was close enough before throwing his knife at Thresh with his good arm. Thresh narrowly dodged it thankfully.

"Gale, don't!" Quinn screamed, gasping in pain as she tried to stand up, "Don't hurt him!" Gale was running at Thresh full speed and when she finally managed to stand up, she staggered over and moved herself in front of Thresh. Gale skidded to a halt, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"He saved my life, Gale! He saved me from Clove!" she quickly explained.

Gale looked at her, then at Thresh, then back at her questionably.

She nodded, "It's true. He wasn't going to hurt me." Or at least, that's what she thought…

"I heard your screams," Gale murmured, "I came as fast as I could." he swore loudly when he noticed her wound. He cupped her face in his hands, tilting her face upward to inspect her wound. "Your wound is deep. Do you feel lightheaded?".

She shook her head, staring at him in disbelief and pushed his hands away from her face, "What the hell is a matter with you?" her voice cracked and she couldn't help but wrap her arms around him, burying her face in his chest, "You idiot I drugged you for a reason! I didn't want you to come!"

He nodded and kissed her hair, "I know and I'm sorry, hate me all you want, but I just couldn't stand by and possibly lose you." he buried his face in the crook of her neck, "I can't ever lose you, Quinn."

Quinn moved out of his arms, tears now forming in her eyes, "How are you even conscious? That sleep syrup…"

"I guess you didn't give me as much as you thought," he murmured, his gaze drifting back to Thresh, "Thank God for that."

Quinn followed his gaze and looked back at Thresh as well, momentarily forgetting that he was still with them.

"Were you the ones who killed Marvel, the one who killed Rue?" Thresh asked gruffly.

Quinn nodded, her hand slipping into Gale's, "Yeah, Gale's the one who killed him."

"It was a team effort, I'd say." Gale said softly before kissing her head again.

"We buried Rue in flowers and I sang her to sleep," Quinn continued, tears sliding down her cheeks at the painful memory, "I mean, until she died. I sang to her until she died."

"Now that you know what happened with Rue, where does that leave us?" Gale asked rather harshly, stepping in front of Quinn, ready to protect her if needed.

"I will let you two go this one time, but only because of Rue."

Gale gave him a curt nod, "Thank you."

"We all better get out of here," Thresh said, walking over to the table and picking up his pack as well as Cato's, "I imagine Cato is nearby."

Gale nodded his head in agreement and took Quinn's arm and put it over his good shoulder so that she could lean on him.

"Wait!" Quinn exclaimed just as Thresh was about to leave. Thresh stopped and turned around, looking at her expectantly.

"Become our ally, Thresh! You, me, and Gale, we can all team up and kill Cato."

"Quinn-"

She waved Gale off, still looking at Thresh, "Think about it, we all stand a better chance at surviving against him if we team up. He's no match for all three of us."

Thresh's expression hardened and she could tell that he was seriously considering her offer.

"Clove!"

All three of them jumped at the sudden sound of Cato's voice. By the sounds of it, he was close. Very close.

"Fine," Thresh said quickly, "I will join you two." And with that he quickly took off and Gale and Quinn followed. Quinn hissed in pain though after taking no more than three steps and that's when she remembered her leg. "Here, I've got you," Gale stopped and lifted her up bridal style in one movement and started running with her in his arms.

"No, Gale, put me down! Your arm!"

"Is fine!" he said quickly, picking up his pace and following Thresh back into the woods.

"At least let me give you your medicine first!"

Gale shook his head, "No time for that. Once we're safe, then you can treat me all you want."

Gale had directed Thresh to the way where there cave was. By the time they all reached the cave, Quinn could feel her world fading before her. "Here, Quinn, we're safe" Gale whispered as he slowly set Quinn down on her sleeping bag.

"Give me the orange pack," she said quickly. Gale handed her the pack and she hastily ripped it open and dumped the contents on the ground. She picked up a slim box containing one hypothermic needle and ordered Gale to roll up his sleeve. He did, and without hesitating, she jammed the needle into his arm, slowly pressing down on the plunger. She gently retracted the needle and put it away, her hand then going to her forehead which was sticky with blood. She brought her hand back down and looked at it. It was completely red. She swallowed hard, her stomach suddenly feeling uneasy.

"Quinn, Quinn!"

That was the last thing she remembered hearing before her whole world faded to black.

* * *

><p>She later regained consciousness when she felt something soft brush against her cheek. Her eyes slowly started to flutter open just as she heard a deep voice softly saying what sounded like her name.<p>

She leaned her head back against whatever she was resting on and found herself staring straight into Gale's eyes.

She felt her lips pull into a small smile, "Gale."

She heard him sigh in relief before feeling his lips against her skin again, "I'm so glad you're awake. You scared the crap out of me."

She looked up at him apologetically, "I'm sorry."

Gale gently touched his forehead to hers, "You were bleeding so much, I was so worried that we couldn't do anything for you."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "We?"

"Thresh and I. Thankfully he had some stuff to sew up your leg wound otherwise I think you would've bled out." he said with a slight grimace.

Quinn gingerly lifted her hand to her head and found that it was bandaged.

"Is it too tight?" he asked worriedly, "Dammit, I knew it was too tight. I should've-"

"I'm fine," she croaked, lifting her hand up and running it through his hair. He turned his head and kissed the inside of her wrist. "How do you feel?"

"Whatever it is you shot into my arm sure did the trick," he said, "My arm feels so much better and I think it got rid of my fever permanently."

She sighed in relief and rested her head against his chest, "I'm glad to hear it."

"How do you feel?" he asked before pulling her closer.

She gave a small shrug and glanced around the cave, "A little out of it. I'm sure once I get some more rest I'll be fine. Where's Thresh? Is he okay?"

Gale nodded, "Yeah, he's fine. He's outside, trying to catch some fish from the stream."

"What happened to the groosling I caught?"

"Thresh and I kind of ate it. Well, _inhaled_ it is more like it. It wasn't until after that we realized that it might have to last a while."

"It's okay, you two need to keep up your strength." she slowly tried to sit up but Gale stopped her.

"Stay where you are," he advised, "I don't want you to get dizzy or anything."

She chuckled, "Are you just saying that so I'll stay in your arms longer or do you genuinely mean that?"

Gale just shrugged, a knowing smile on his face and picked up her water bottle before handing it over to her, "Here. Drink. You need to rehydrate."

She nodded in agreement and popped the top of the bottle and took a healthy swig. "How long have I been out?"

"A day and a half," he replied, "Not long, but definitely enough time for me to lose much of my sanity. Probably drove Thresh crazy."

She pursed her lips together before asking, "Are you and Thresh getting along?"

Gale shrugged, "The guy's alright. Doesn't talk much, though."

She chuckled, "Well neither do you!"

He lowered his voice and his expression darkened, "I still don't know if we can trust him."

Quinn took another sip of water, "I think we can."

"Just because he refrained from killing us doesn't necessarily mean he's on our side."

"He wants Cato dead just as much as we do," she reminded, "And he knows that we'd all have a better chance of survival if we teamed up to do it."

"How do we know he isn't working with Cato and this is all some ploy of theirs?"

Quinn shook her head, "He hates Cato with a passion. He killed Rue, remember?"

"But-"

She looked at him sternly, "Gale, Thresh is our ally. And whether you like it or not, now that we're both injured, we need him to defeat Cato."

He sighed heavily, his uncertainty still evidently there.

"We need to focus on getting rid of Cato and Foxface."

"You do realize that once they're out of the picture, our alliance is off, right? It's either him or us, Quinn. You have to remember that." he said seriously.

She nodded, her fingers aimlessly playing with the hem of her jacket, "I know." She just didn't like the idea of having to kill Thresh since he saved her life.

"I know you don't like it, Quinn" he whispered, his nose lightly nuzzling the crook of her neck, "but it's the reality of our situation. Not everyone can survive this thing."

Just then Quinn heard heavy footsteps and she looked up to see Thresh entering the cave. She could feel Gale's grip on her tighten ever so subtly.

"Caught some fish," Thresh said gruffly, averting his gaze as if he saw something he shouldn't have, "It's just finished cooking."

"Thanks Thresh" Quinn said softly, slowly pushing herself into an upright position.

"I'd take it easy if I were you," Thresh advised, "That cut of yours was pretty deep."

Gale nodded, "Yeah, Quinn, sit back down I'll bring the food to you."

Quinn waved him off, "I'm fine. Honestly. I can stand up and walk on my own thank you very much." She winced a little when she put pressure on her bad leg and gave a slight yelp when she lost her footing. Both Thresh and Gale had reached out to catch her but it had been Gale to keep her from falling.

"Now what was that you were saying?" Gale asked, carefully guiding her back down to sit on the sleeping bag.

"Shut up, Gale," she grumbled, "There was a rock in my way. I just didn't see it."

Gale just rolled his eyes and Quinn could hear Thresh trying to contain a chuckle. "I'll get some of the fish and bring it back for you, Quinn."

Gale stood back up and shook his head, "No, I'll do it." He leaned back down for a moment to kiss her forehead.

Quinn shook her head as Gale walked past Thresh and left the cave, leaving the two of them alone.

Thresh looked back before gazing back at Quinn, "Your boyfriend doesn't like me much, does he?"

She gave a small shrug, "He's just…overly protective."

Thresh arched his eyebrow, "Does he think I intend on stealing you away or something?"

She shook her head furiously, "No. At least I don't think so. He's just not keen on working with others."

"But he okay with working with Rue." he pointed out.

"Actually, not really," she said quietly, really not wanting to think of Rue, "He wasn't…well it's a long story."

Thresh sighed and plopped himself down on the floor across the way from Quinn. "Are you okay?" she questioned.

Thresh gave a curt nod, "I'm just tired."

"Well go to sleep if you want. I'll make sure Gale doesn't eat all of the fish." she said with a small smile.

He shook his head, "I'm just tired of all this. The Games. I want it over and done with already."

She sighed, "Don't we all?"

He looked at her closely, "Why did you really ask me to be your ally?"

She frowned, "I told you why, Thresh. We all have a better chance of survival if we all try and-"

"I could take Cato down when it came down to it," he retorted, "I'm bigger than he is. It's not like I would be another easy victory for him."

"I know that. I just thought-Wait," she arched her eyebrow, "If you knew you could take on Cato, then why did _you_ accept my offer?"

She could see his body tense up, "Well?"

"Maybe I didn't want to spend my last days alone." he murmured quietly.

Her expression softened, "Oh."

"But now, I think that it wasn't such a good idea." he said with a slight shake of his head.

Her eyebrows furrowed, "Why do you say that?"

"You and Gale are very much in love."

Quinn looked at him oddly, "Is that supposed to be a question or statement, or….?"

"Statement." he replied, lifting his gaze so that he looked at her.

She frowned, "Do you have a problem with us being together or something?"

Thresh shook his head, "No. Not at all. It's endearing. Seeing how strongly Gale cares for you and everything, it makes me want to root for you two."

She pursed her lips together, unsure of how to respond.

He sighed, "Unfortunately, this is a competition and you two are in my way of coming home. I can't be rooting for anyone other than myself."

_She never should've offered an alliance, she thought to herself, This is just going to like what happened with Rue. She was just setting herself up to lose another friend. God, why did she always do this?_

"Gale's back," Thresh murmured upon hearing nearing footsteps.

"Sorry it took so long," Gale said as he walked back into the cave, carrying some fish wrapped in leaves, as well as some berries, "Thought I'd pick some berries to go with them."

He handed Thresh some fish and berries to Thresh before sitting down next to Quinn and handing her some as well, "So did I miss anything?"

Quinn glanced at Thresh and shook her head, "No, not really."

They all fell into a comfortable silence as they hungrily ate their food. Thresh had been the first to finish his food and when he did, he looked at Quinn and Gale, "Can I ask you both something?"

Quinn and Gale looked at each other before nodding, "Yeah, sure."

Thresh looked at them questionably, "What happened to you both?"

Gale wiped his chin and frowned, "What do you mean?"

"I wanted to ask earlier but I wasn't sure if I should," Thresh pointed to his neck, "but both of your necks are severely bruised."

Gale and Quinn looked at each other and realized what he was talking about.

"Were you two attacked?"

Quinn smiled knowingly, briefly glancing at Gale, "You could say that."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Review please!<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: So here's another chapter! Sorry it took so long to update but I had only gotten one review on the last chaper =(, so my motivation was a little down. I made some covers for some of my stories (including this one) and they are my first attempts at editing pictures and I gotta say, for a girl who didn't know what she was doing, I did a pretty good job! Ha, but seriously I know they're terrible. Anyways, I'll stop rambling. So, read. enjoy. review! Please, review!**

* * *

><p>Quinn shifted in her sleep and her arm reached out for Gale, but for some reason she caught only air. Her eyes fluttered open to see what was going on and frowned when she saw that Gale was nowhere in sight. She pushed herself onto her elbows and spotted Thresh across from her, his back against the cave wall, his eyes shut. She slowly moved into a sitting position and was about to try and get up when she saw Gale walk into the cave. She could tell by the look on his face that something was wrong.<p>

"Gale, is everything okay?" she asked worriedly.

His jaw tightened. "We've got a problem." At this, Thresh's eyes flew open. Apparently he wasn't as asleep as Quinn thought he had been.

She looked back at Gale, "What do you mean? Is it Cato? Does he know where we are?"

Gale shook his head and walked over to her, before helping her stand up.

"What is it?" Thresh inquired, pushing himself off the floor.

Gale nodded his head towards the mouth of the cave, "Just look outside."

Quinn looked up at Gale as he helped her outside, "What is it?"

"The stream is gone." he replied, pointing in the direction of the stream when they were outside.

Quinn followed his gaze to find that the stream was indeed gone. Well, not _gone_ but dried up. _Completely_ dried up.

Thresh stood a few week away from them, standing up on a rock and shook his head in disbelief, "They must have drained it while we were asleep." They, being the Gamemakers.

"The lake," Gale realized, "that's where they want us to go. It's the only source of water now."

"There are some ponds scattered around," Quinn pointed out, remembering the one she stumbled across before nearly passing out from dehydration.

"They probably dried those up too," Thresh jumped down and gruffly kicked a rock in his path, "They want us to go to the lake, out in the open where there's no real protection."

Gale nodded in agreement, "They want to bring us all together for one last hurrah I bet. There's five of us left. They probably want another bloodbath."

"Well, we won't give it to them." Thresh said with a shake of his head.

"But we're going to have to go to the lake eventually," Quinn reminded, "We need water."

Gale sighed. "She's right."

"We'll wait then," Thresh decided, "wait until our water runs out before-"

Gale shook his head, "We should leave now, while we've had food, rest, and still have water. We don't want to make that journey to the lake when we're dehydrated."

"Gale's right. It would be better to just get this thing over with. It's gotta happen sooner or later."

Thresh's jaw tightened. "Fine, but once Cato's dead-"

"No more alliance," Quinn said with a sad nod of her head, "We know."

"We should get going then, while it's still light out. Who knows how long it'll last." Gale said before helping Quinn back in the cave, Thresh reluctantly following.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure I'm not too heavy?"<p>

Gale rolled his eyes and shook his head, "No, for the millionth time, you're not."

He was currently giving Quinn a piggy back ride, since her leg kept her from walking at a steady pace.

"But are you _sure? _I'm sure Thresh wouldn't mind helping me for awhile."

_His grip on her automatically tightened at the mere suggestion. _

"I take that as a 'no'" she said with a slight giggle before leaning forward and kissing his cheek.

"Should we take a break and try to find food?" Thresh inquired. They had been traveling for at least a few hours already.

"Yeah, I think we should." Quinn agreed.

"I'll search for some berries and roots and you two can hunt."

"Okay, but don't go too far," Quinn said to Thresh, who nodded his head. "Got it."

She looked back at Gale and tapped his shoulder, "Put me down."

He looked back at her, "What?"

She rolled her eyes, "Well I can't hunt while I'm on your back, Gale."

He shook his head in protest, "I don't want you putting any pressure on your leg. You need to keep off it as much as possible."

"Gale Hawthorne put me down."

He sighed heavily before reluctantly setting her down, "Here, I've got an idea, you sit on that boulder over there and I'll do the hunting. Hand over your bow and some arrows."

He might as well of asked her to take all her clothes off because he would've gotten the same look from her.

"Quinn…" he said seriously.

She shook her head, her grip on her bow tightening, "Not happening."

He folded his arms across his chest and his eyes narrowed, "I'll take them from you if I have to."

"_Do you want a kick to the groin?" _

He arched his eyebrow in surprise, "You'd kick your own boyfriend in the groin? Over a bow and some arrows? Gee, you really showed how much you love me, Quinn."

She folded her own arms across her chest, "You're the one trying to take my things away from me."

"I wouldn't have to take them away if you would just let me _borrow_ them. We need to eat, remember?"

"I am perfectly capable of hunting, thank you very much." She walked away from him with her nose in the air, or should he say _limped _away.

He rolled his eyes and quickly followed her, "You seriously think you can hunt like that gimpy?"

"You really going to insult your girlfriend?" she retorted.

He huffed in frustration and quickly snatched her bow from her before throwing her over his shoulder. "Gale Hawthorne! Put me down!" Her fists pounded against his back but they didn't really hurt him.

"Quinn, for the love of God, would you just cooperate?" he pleaded before setting her down on the nearby boulder.

She lunged for her bow the second he set her down, but he held it above his head, well out of her reach. "Gale!"

"I swear I'll snap this thing in half if you don't sit back down." he threatened.

She grumbled something he didn't quite catch and reluctantly sat back down, her arms folded across her chest. She looked like a pouting toddler. _A very adorable one at that, Gale thought to himself._ Unable to help himself he leaned down to kiss her, but her finger stopped him, "Don't even-"

He shook his head and pushed her finger away before capturing her lips in a passionate embrace. He smiled against her lips, when she started responding to his kiss, knowing that she wasn't as mad at him as he thought.

He slowly pulled away after a few seconds and looked down into her eyes, "Now do you promise to stay put long enough for me to hunt us something?"

She sighed, "I guess."

"Good," he pecked her lips again, "I won't take long."

"Don't go to far!" she yelled after him.

"I won't!" he called back, giving a slight wave before he disappeared.

* * *

><p>Quinn tapped her fingers nervously against her thighs as she waited for Thresh and Gale to return. She hated being the injured one. She looked in both directions and sighed heavily when she didn't see any sight of Thresh or Gale. Why were they both taking so long? She rested her chin against the palm of her hand and started to hum anxiously. <em>Come on Gale, you shouldn't be taking so long…<em>

Just then a cannon went off and she was pretty sure her heart had stopped. She hopped off the boulder without another thought and started running in the direction Gale had left. "Gale!" she screamed out in panic. "Gale!"

It couldn't have been him, it just couldn't have… She swore loudly at her inability to run faster, the pain from her leg causing her to slow down. "Gale!"

"Quinn?"

She turned her head to see Gale jogging towards her and she quickly made her way over to him.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" she all but screamed, lightly pushing at his chest when they were close enough. "I thought Cato had gotten to you!"

"Quinn, I'm here. I'm fine," he reassured, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her up.

"I thought, I thought it was your cannon," she cried, burying her face in the crook of his neck, holding onto him for dear life.

"It wasn't, it wasn't." he whispered, his grip on her tightening when he felt her trembling.

"I told you not to go far," she sniffed.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly before kissing her head, "I wasn't finding any game, I had go a little more out."

"If you ever do that to me again, Gale Hawthorne, I swear I really will kick you in the groin," she mumbled when he set her back down on her feet.

"Who's cannon do you think that was?"

Quinn shrugged, her face buried against his chest, "I don't know."

He knelt down and scooped her up bridal style, "Let's go look for Thresh, maybe he had run into Cato or something."

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, "What if it was Thresh's cannon?"

Gale stiffened for a moment, "Let's hope not."

* * *

><p>They hadn't been walking for more than five minutes when they came across Thresh. Quinn sighed in relief at the sight of him. "Thresh, you're alright."<p>

"We thought-"

Thresh shook his head as he walked closer to them, "No, it wasn't me. It was the girl from 5."

Gale frowned, "Foxface?"

Thresh nodded, "Yeah."

Quinn swallowed hard, "Wait…did you…I mean, you didn't…?"

Thresh looked down, his gaze now fixated on the ground, and Quinn got her answer.

"She was following us," he replied, looking back up at them.

"What?"

"While we walked, I had this sinking feeling that we were being followed. I didn't want to alarm you two since I didn't know if I was right or not. When I went off on my own, I harvested these," he held out his hand, showing them berries that resembled the ones that Quinn licked to pick, but they were different.

Her eyes widened, "But that's night lock, Thresh!"

He nodded and closed his hand, "I know. I didn't eat any, obviously, but I made it look like I did, just in case. A few moments after leaving the bushes were I had picked them, a cannon went off. I ran back to bushes and I found the redheaded girl's body. She had eaten some."

Gale carefully put Quinn down, "I wonder how she found us."

"She's very clever," she answered, "And sneaky."

"Well, apparently not sneaky enough. Thresh clearly outfoxed her." Gale replied with a small smile.

Thresh cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Yeah, well…one less tribute to deal with."

Quinn nodded, "Yeah, now it's just Cato and then…" she drifted off uncomfortably when she remembered that once Cato was out of the picture, it would be her and Gale against Thresh. She wouldn't be able to kill Thresh, not after saved her life.

"So we need to figure out a plan for when we face Cato," Thresh stated.

Gale nodded in agreement, "The two of us could fight Cato, you know distract him while Quinn's up in one of the trees. She could shoot him down easily."

"It'll take more than one arrow to take Cato down," Thresh said.

"Good thing Quinn's got a bunch of arrows," Gale replied, "I think-"

"Wait," Quinn interrupted, "isn't there another way to do this? I mean, where you guys _didn't _have to you fight Cato?" she looked up at Gale, "Couldn't you just set up one of your snares?"

Gale shook his head, "Cato's too smart to fall for something like that."

"Yeah, we have a better chance of getting rid of him if we just attacked. Gale and I are both strong fighters. Cato will definitely have his work cut out for him dealing with the two of us."

Quinn pursed her lips together, still displeased at the game plan. "Why don't I help you guys then? I can fight-"

"You're hurt, Quinn," Gale reminded, his gaze briefly drifting down to her leg, "I can't let Cato get near you. He'll take you down within the blink of an eye."

"But-"

"This plan _will_ work Quinn," Thresh reassured, "All of us have our strengths. If we utilize them properly, Cato won't stand a chance."

She knew they had nothing to worry about since it would be the three of them against Cato, but all she could picture was that huge sword Cato carried around with him and how easily he had taken down tributes at the Cornucopia bloodbath at the beginning of the Games.

Gale took her hand, "Come on, we should keep moving."

Thresh adjusted the strap on his pack and glanced over at them, "Were you two able to catch some game?"

Gale shook his head, "I couldn't find a single thing. It's like all the animals had disappeared."

Thresh frowned, "Do you think it's another one of the Gamemaker's tricks?"

Gale shrugged, "I wouldn't be surprised if it was, probably just another ploy to get us to the lake."

* * *

><p>They made it to the lake late in the evening. There was no sign of Cato anywhere. No sign of anything except the Cornucopia that glowed in the slanting sun rays. Gale set Quinn down on a rock near the lake before he and Thresh circled the Cornucopia to ensure that it was empty. Quinn perched her bad leg up on another rock and rolled her pants up so that she could change her bandages.<p>

"We should probably set up camp now." Thresh said when he and Gale returned to her, frowning at the setting sun.

Gale nodded in agreement and knelt down to help Quinn, "Yeah, we don't want to fight Cato after dark. We only have one pair of those glasses."

"It would be pointless to go back to the cave," he continued, taking the bandages Quinn handed him, "We'll have to pick one of these trees to sleep in."

Thresh gathered up all their water bottles and warily looked at Quinn, "You sure you can climb with that leg of yours?"

Quinn looked away from her leg and up at him, "Yeah, I think I can."

"You sure about that?" Gale asked her when Thresh left to fill up their water bottles. He stopped bandaging her leg for a moment, awaiting her response.

Quinn nodded her head, "Yeah. My leg doesn't hurt that much and look, it's not infected."

"Still, you shouldn't climb when you're injured, you're more likely to-"

"Stop being a worrywart, Gale." she said with a shake of her head before leaning down and pecking his lips, "I'll be fine. I've been climbing trees all my life."

"I think I'm going to try hunting again," he announced when he finished bandaging her leg. Thresh had just returned with their water bottles.

Quinn immediately started shaking her head, "I don't think that's a good idea, it's going to get dark soon."

"I'll be fine," he assured before picking up her bow, "Besides, we need to find some food."

"What if Cato's out there, just waiting for one of us to fall into his trap? Nu-uh, Gale, you're not going." she said firmly.

"Don't be such a worrywart, Quinn," he said teasingly before kissing her cheek, "I won't be long."

"No way," she said, grabbing the hem of his jacket and pulling him back, "I am not having a repeat of earlier. You're staying."

He arched his eyebrow, "You really want to starve?"

Her grip on him tightened, "No, but I'd rather starve then lose you, so sit your butt back down."

"I'd do as she says." Thresh advised, his usually stoic face trying to contain a smile.

She nodded her head, "Yeah, listen to Thresh."

Gale huffed in frustration, "Quinn, we need to-"

"Looks like our problem's solved" Thresh interrupted, pointing up at the sky.

"Why is it raining rabbit or something?" Gale snapped.

Quinn lightly nudged him, "He's referring to _that_." She pointed to the basket attached to a silver parachute that was slowly making their way down to them. Thresh was the one who snatched the basket and quickly handed it off to Quinn.

"What's in it?" Gale inquired, peering over her shoulder.

She lifted off the lid and peered inside. Inside the basket was a feast- fresh rolls, goat cheese, apples, and lamb stew on wild rice. "Who's it from?" Thresh inquired.

"Maybe it's from your mentor?" Quinn suggested.

Thresh looked a little reluctant, "I doubt it. Probably from your sponsors."

"Yeah, it's from Sue," Gale said, holding up a small piece of paper. Quinn frowned and took the piece of paper from him while he took the basket.

She looked down at the note. It read: _Hope this helps -S_. Quinn pursed her lips together. This wasn't Sue's writing. She glanced at the note again. Sam, she thought. This must've been his doing. She was about to pull out the note that Sam had given her to compare writing but decided against it since Gale was right next to her. He didn't know Sam had given her something and she wasn't about to tell Gale that this food was possibly a gift from Sam and not Sue. She quickly stuffed the note in her jacket pocket.

"We're going to need to take it easy with the food," she reminded Thresh and Gale, who were both eating half a roll, "We don't know how long that's gonna need to last us."

Gale nodded and handed her half a roll too, "Yeah, we know. It took all our willpower not to go straight for the stew."

Thresh stood up and brushed his hands clean on his pants, "We should probably make camp now. The sun's nearly set."

Quinn nodded in agreement and picked up the basket, "Right. How about that tree over there?" she suggested, pointing to one not too far away but big enough for them to sleep in and with enough branches to conceal them.

* * *

><p>"How about that branch?" Gale asked, "It's not too high and not too low."<p>

"Looks sturdy enough," Quinn replied, resting her hands against the trunk before pushing herself up. It really hurt to climb. More so than she thought it would but she made sure not to show it in front of Gale. "How you doing?" Gale asked from behind her.

"Fine," her voice cracked, "Just fine."

She couldn't help but sigh in relief when they made it to their designated branch. She pulled out her sleeping bag and gently laid it out. She glanced down for a moment and noticed that Thresh was still on the ground. She frowned, "Thresh, aren't you going to climb up too?"

He shook his head, "I'll stay on the ground, thanks. I'll keep watch."

Gale looked down at him, "It'll be safer up here."

Thresh rested his back against the trunk, "Not really one for tree climbing. I'll be fine down here."

Gale looked back at Quinn and shrugged. By the time they had everything situated, it was well into night. From their place in the tree, they could see the Cornucopia perfectly as well as the lake.

"Do you see Cato anywhere?" Quinn asked, looking up at Gale, who was using the night glasses.

"Nope, no sight of him." he said with a sigh before taking them off and putting them back in his pack.

Just then the Capitol anthem blared out throughout the arena and Quinn looked up just as the seal appeared in the sky. There was only one death today. Foxface's picture appeared in the sky for a few moments before disappearing into the sky, the Capitol seal slowly following.

Quinn relaxed against Gale, always tensing up whenever the death recap came on. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to his chest. "Gale, what are you thinking about?" she asked him quietly, her gaze still on the sky.

"I was just thinking that if we win the games, we'll live in the victor's village."

She looked back at him, "Yeah and?"

"And that means we'll have Sue as our neighbor." They both grimaced at the mere thought before sharing a laugh. Gale leaned down and kissed her cheek before letting his lips travel down to her neck. "Mmm…" Her eyes were about to flutter close when she heard Thresh's voice.

Her eyes quickly opened and Gale and her peered over the side, "What is it?"

"There's a light in the distance," Thresh explained, pointing north.

"You stay here," Gale instructed to Quinn before climbing down the tree. He landed with a soft thud and followed where Thresh was pointing.

"That looks like fire," Gale commented, squinting his eyes a little, "Or a torch."

"That could be Cato." Thresh realized.

"It's approaching us fast," Gale looked back up at Quinn, "You stay in that tree, you got that?"

Quinn reluctantly nodded her head.

Gale pulled out his knife and swallowed hard when Thresh confirmed that it was indeed Cato.

Quinn's stomach dropped and she quickly strung an arrow, intent on killing Cato before he could hurt either Thresh or Gale. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion when Cato came into her line of view. He was running towards them like a bat out of hell but didn't have any weapons in his hands, except a torch. She released the arrow without another thought and it hit him square in his chest before inexplicably falling aside.

"He has body armor on." Thresh yelled.

Cato rocked right between Thresh and Gale with no attempt to stop. He was panting and by his purplish face, she could tell that he had been running hard for a long time. But not towards them. From _something_.

* * *

><p>Cato stumbled over root and clumsily dropped his torch, setting everything on fire. He quickly scrambled to his feet, sheer panic on his face, before breaking out into a run again, not daring to look back.<p>

Quinn squinted, trying to see through the smoke, hoping to catch sight of what Cato was running from. She had just started to make her way down the tree when a large creature leaped through the wall of flames surrounding them. She screamed and Gale ordered her to get back in the tree, but she couldn't. The fire was spreading and only in a matter of seconds would it consume her tree.

"The Cornucopia! Go to the Cornucopia! " Thresh yelled, breaking out into a run much like Cato had done, the animal chasing after him.

Quinn hopped down from the tree and Gale grabbed her hand before they ran together towards the Cornucopia. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see another half a dozen creatures emerging from the flames. She looked out ahead to see Cato climbing up onto of the Cornucopia while Thresh did the same. The animal jumped up and clawed at Cato but he was already out of reach.

The animal then set it's sights on Thresh, who was struggling to push himself up. The animal lunged for him and succeeded in tackling him to the ground. Quinn quickly shot an arrow at it and it lodged in it's shoulder but it wasn't enough to kill it. She was about to release another one but Gale grabbed her and helped her onto the Cornucopia. Quinn shot another arrow but this time the animal didn't ignore her, it left Thresh's body and made its way over to them. A cannon rang out. Thresh was dead.

Quinn hurriedly pulled Gale up, not wanting the same thing to happen to him. The animal lunged for Gale and clawed at his back. Gale roared in pain as it's claws sliced through his skin and Quinn pulled him away with everything she had. She fell backwards and Gale grunted in pain as he pushed himself off his stomach. She had caught a glimpse of his back, where three deep claw marks were, all of them oozing blood.

She looked away and noticed Cato lying on his side at the very top of the horn, gasping to catch his breath as he gagged over the edge. She quickly looked back at Gale, who was slowly sitting up, "Are you alright?"

He gave a pained nod, "Yeah. What are those things?"

"They have to be muttations," she replied breathlessly, "I've never seen animals like that before. They were definitely created." She looked at the base of the Horn and sighed in relief when she realized that the mutts weren't able to climb up it. But their paws scrap over the metal surface in their attempts to climb, snorting, growling, and making high-pitched yipping sounds to one another.

There was a loud thud and a snarl causing Quinn to jump back, as one of the mutts had made a running start before leaping onto the horn. For a moment it lingered there, snapping it's teeth at her, trying to get closer. Quinn quickly strung an arrow and aimed directly in between it's eyes. When she got a good look at it's eyes though, her blood turned cold. It's eyes were unlike that of any dog or wolf she had ever seen before. They were unmistakably human and it's green hue was so familiar looking. She took another step back when the mutt snapped at her again and then she realized something. The mutt's blonde mane, the green eyes, the collar around it's neck with the number 1.…it was Glimmer.

She let out a shriek and released her arrow, even though the mutt was sliding backwards, it's claws screeching against the metal like nails on a blackboard. "Quinn!" She felt Gale's arms wrap around her and pull her closer.

"T-that was Glimmer!" she all but screamed. She quickly moved out of his arms and peered over the edge but was careful not to get to close. She examined the pack of mutts down below, taking in the various shapes and sizes. "Oh my god, Gale," she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief, "It's them."

"Who them?" Gale asked, struggling to move beside, "What are you talking about?"

"All of the mutts, t-they're the fallen tributes! Look at that one!" she cried, pointing over to his left where a small mutt was, with dark fur, big brown eyes, and an eleven written on it's collar. Rue…

Gale's eyes widened, "It can't be. They wouldn't…you don't think those are their real eyes, do you?"

Quinn quickly looked away, "It can't be them, it's probably an illusion, they're probably just messing with us, like they did with the jabber jays."

She glanced over at Cato, who's breathing had slowed and still remained unable to get onto his feet. But she knew it wouldn't be long until he recovered. She quickly strung another arrow in preparation for when that happened, but another mutt had lunged for her, this time cutting it really close and she automatically took it down. She was pretty sure that one had been Marvel.

Just then she heard another loud thud, followed by a sharp yelp of pain. She quickly turned back around to see that Cato had tackled Gale. Gale quickly recovered and slammed Cato onto his back. Quinn quickly strung up an arrow, her last arrow, and aimed it at Cato, but he and Gale were moving so fast she couldn't get a good lock on him. She moved closer to them but slipped on the blood that coated a majority of the surface. Her stomach dropped when she realized that it was Gale's blood. She quickly got back on her feet and pulled back her arrow.

Her heart pounded against her ribcage when Cato pulled Gale into some kind of headlock. He was struggling and putting up a good fight but Cato was cutting off his oxygen supply so much that he wasn't able to fight back as much as he wanted too. But she was pleased to see that Cato's face was severely bruised and beaten. Cato laughed, blood spurting from his mouth, "Go ahead and shoot fire girl. I go down and your boyfriend goes down with me."

She swallowed hard. He was right. If she took him out, he'd fall to the mutts and undoubtedly take Gale with him. And if Cato tried to snap Gale's neck, he knew he would just be setting himself up for an arrow to the head. They had reached a stalemate. Gale was still struggling against Cato's hold on him even though his lips were turning blue. If she didn't do something fast, he would suffocate to the point of death. But what could she do?

"Quinn" Gale gasped, causing her gaze to fall to him instead of Cato. Her eyes narrowed when Gale mouthed something that she couldn't quite finger out. But then his fingers ghosted over Cato's hand, making an invisible X. She quickly lowered her aim and didn't hesitate in releasing her final arrow, knowing that Cato would've caught on a second later. The arrow pierced his skin and Cato cried out, reflexively releasing Gale who slammed back against him. She lunged forward and grabbed onto Gale just as Cato stumbled backwards and plummeted to the ground. She knew the fall alone wouldn't be enough to kill him, unless he landed on his head, so she wasn't surprised when she didn't hear a cannon go off. If the fall didn't kill him, the mutts most definitely would.

She buried her face in Gale's chest, cringing at the sound of Cato's pleas for help and the mutt's growls and snarls. Gale's body stiffened and she felt his arm's tighten around her, causing her to look back. Cato was attempting to climb back onto the Cornucopia. He was still alive. She quickly looked away when he screamed bloody murder, followed by a loud thud. _The mutt's must've dragged him back down, she thought._

She squeezed Gale tightly, flinching at the gut wrenching sounds that Cato was making. She frowned though, when she realized her fingers were sticky and wet. She pulled her arms from around Gale and looked down at her hands to see that they were both blood red. She had forgotten about Gale's wounds. She swore under her breath as she turned him around. He was bleeding now more than ever. The three claw marks covered his entire back. She didn't see how he was still conscious. _God, he needs medical attention fast. _There was nothing she could do for them, all of their packs, their supplies were still up in that tree and probably had been destroyed in the fire.

"They're going to drag this on for hours," Gale muttered, carefully sitting down, slightly wincing in pain.

"What?" she asked, her teeth slightly chattering from the cold as she joined him. He nodded his head towards where the mutts and Cato were, "They aren't going to kill him right away. Everyone in Panem is probably glued to their t.v.'s now. They aren't going to end the fun now."

Quinn could feel hot tears welling up in her eyes as Cato's screams continued to fill her ears. Even though she hated Cato with a passion, she wanted his suffering to end already. She wanted all this over and done with. Gale needed medical attention and the temperature was dropping fast. If the Gamemakers didn't hurry this up, they wouldn't have any winner. Instead they'd have three dead tributes. One who bled to death, one who was ripped apart, and the other who froze to death. "Come here you," Gale whispered, unzipping his jacket before pulling her into him, "You're shaking like a leaf."

"How much pain are you in?" she asked quietly, shifting a little when he zipped up his jacket around her.

"Not much," he assured, lightly kissing her forehead, "Just stings a little."

"Don't die on me," she whispered, her hands sliding to his chest.

He let out a pained chuckle, "I don't intend to."

They fell into silence after that. The two of them waiting. Before they knew it, sunrise was peeking over the horizon of the lake signifying the start of another day. Quinn wearily looked up at Gale, who's eyes were shut, his head drooped. Panicked, she quickly shook him awake, "Gale!"

His eyes fluttered open and he stared at her, "What's wrong?"

She sighed in relief and kissed his lips, which were like ice cubes, "Just making sure you're still alive."

He gave a slight yawn, "Don't you worry, I am. Unfortunately Cato is too."

She reluctantly unzipped his jacket and shimmied away from him, "I think the mutts are gone. I don't hear them anymore."

Gale let out a strained hiss as he pushed himself upright and walked over to the edge of the Horn.

"Yeah, I don't see any sight of them, but I've found Cato."

Quinn swallowed hard, "How bad-?"

"Just don't come over here and look," he advised, rolling up his sleeves before jumping down.

Quinn's eyes bugged out and she screamed his name. She ran over to the edge and peered over the side, "What are you doing?"

"Quinn, don't worry, I'm fine. The mutt's are gone." Gale called back to her before walking up to raw hunk of meat that she could only assume was Cato. Or what was left of him. Her body relaxed a little when she realized what Gale was planning on doing. She shut her eyes the second Gale reached Cato and another second later she heard his cannon go off.

Her eyes fluttered open to see Gale walking towards her. She sat down and moved her legs over the edge, slowly sliding down. Gale jogged over to her and helped her off the Cornucopia.

"So…we won," he said hollowly when she was back on the ground with him.

She nodded her head, "Yeah, I guess we did." It really didn't feel like she won anything though.

A few moments later a hovercraft appeared out of the sky to retrieve Cato's remains. Once his body was taken away and the hovercraft disappeared, Quinn and Gale looked around, wondering what happened next. "What are they waiting for?" Gale asked, "We won. They should be announcing it already. The Games are over, they don't have anything else to-"

He was interrupted by Claudius Templesmith's voice booming into the arena. "Greetings to the final contestants of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games! The earlier revision has been revoked. Closer examination of the rule book has disclosed that only one winner may be allowed," he stated. "Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor."

There was a small burst of static and then nothing more. They both looked at each other as the truth sank in. There could only be _one_ victor.

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><p><strong>AN: Anyways, this story's winding down, probably the next chapter will be the last (or second to last, depends). I was planning on doing a sequel with the Quarter Quell but I decided against started another story for now. Maybe later i'll change my mind. <strong>

**Anyways, reviews equal faster updates! **


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Had to break this up into two chapters since it was so long! So this is part one of the final chapter! There's dialogue from the HG book in both parts so yeah that's not mine! Read. enjoy. review!**

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><p>She should've known better. They both should've known better. They had never intended to let the both of them live. It had all been devised by the Gamemakers to guarantee a dramatic showdown. And like fools, they both bought into it.<p>

"If you think about it, it's not that surprising," Gale murmured. Quinn watched as Gale pulled a knife from his belt and didn't even think to step back. If was going to kill her, she wasn't going to fight him. He deserved to live. He moved closer to her and she involuntarily shut her eyes. A few seconds later, she felt his arms wrap around her, his lips against hers. She threw her arms around his neck, kissing him back with everything she had as tears welled up in her eyes. "I love you so much, Gale."

He slowly pulled away and rested his forehead against hers, "I know. I love you too, more so than you could ever imagine."

"I'm going to miss you so much," she cried into his chest while she held onto him for dear life.

He pressed his lips against her temple and sighed, "Not nearly as much as I'm going to miss you, but at least you'll be able to return to your family and friends…"

Her head shot up, "What did you say?"

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"You said I would return to my friends and family," she repeated, before her gaze drifted down to the knife in his hand, "What do you intend on doing with _that_?"

Gale looked down at the knife, "You know what I intend on doing, Quinn. There can only be one victor and I've told you from the very beginning that _you_ are the one that's going home." he frowned, "Did you think I was going to kill you with this thing?"

Quinn shook her head and swatted the knife out of his hand without a second thought, " I won't let you do this."

He sighed heavily, "You have to, Quinn. It's the only way." He walked away from her to retrieve the knife.

She hastily wiped her eyes and followed him, "You are not committing suicide."

He bent down and picked the knife off the ground, "If I have to die, it's going to be on my terms. I don't want to die like Cato. So unless you'd rather shoot me, this is the way it's got to be."

She blanched at the mere thought of killing him. The death of her father had crippled her mother, turned her into a person Quinn no longer recognized. She had once been much like Quinn but now that person was gone. Dead, just like her father. Quinn couldn't lose Gale like her mother had lost her father. She feared that if she did, she would stop living just like her mother. She would rather die for Gale than let that happen.

"You have your whole life ahead of you, Quinn," he whispered, his fingers gently brushing her tears away, "You won't ever have to worry about being in poverty ever again, your family will be taken care of, you'll be able to ride off into the sunset with Sam. Everything will be perfect. You deserve a life like that. You deserve to keep living."

"I wouldn't be happy though," she sniffled, "It wouldn't matter if I was the richest person in Panem, or had all the suitors in the world, or never had to worry about starving, I still wouldn't be happy because I wouldn't have you."

"Sam's a good guy, you two would be good for each other. He-"

"I don't want Sam!" she cried, "I love you, Gale and I don't want to live without you, so don't make me….I'm not worth dying for."

His lips quirked up into a small smile, "You are".

She shook her head, "I'm not."

He sighed heavily, "One of us has to die, Quinn. If we don't do something now, the Gamemakers are just going to cook up some animal or something that will kill one of us."

She stopped, "Gale, I've got an idea. W-wait here." She looked around before running in the direction that she, Gale, and Thresh had originally come from.

"Quinn, what are you doing?" Gale asked, his voice startling the birds from their nests.

"Just stay there!" she yelled back.

She returned a few moments later to the Cornucopia to find Gale pacing around like a caged tiger. "Where the hell did you go?" he demanded when she ran up to him. She didn't reply, she just took Gale's hand in hers and poured some berries into the palm of his hand. He looked down at his hand and his gaze darkened, "Quinn…"

She shook her head and opened up her own palm, which had the same berries. "They either get two victors or no victors at all."

His eyes flashed and his eyebrows furrowed before he looked back into her eyes, "Together?"

"Together" she repeated.

His hand curled into a fist, but not so that he crushed the berries and he pulled her into his arms with his other hand. He leaned down and kissed her slowly but passionately. "I love you, Quinn." he whispered when they finally broke apart for air. She nodded and pecked his lips one last time, "I love you too. On the count of three?"

He nodded, "One."

She took a deep breath, "Two." If the Gamemakers stopped them and let them both live then great, but if they didn't, oh well. As long as she had Gale by her side up until the end…

"Three."

They both lifted their hands up to their mouths and just as she felt the berries against her tongue, trumpets began to blare all around them.

"Stop! Stop!" came Claudius Templesmith's frantic voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present the victors of the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games. Quinn Fabray and Gale Hawthorne! I give you-the tributes of District Twelve!"

Quinn immediately spit the berries out of her mouth, wiping her tongue with the end of her jacket to make sure no juice remained. Gale took her hand and pulled her to the lake, where they both flushed their mouths out with water. It was safe to deduce that neither one of them swallowed any of the berries because if they had, they both would've been dead by now. The second Gale stood back up, Quinn all but tackled him to ground out of sheer happiness. Happy tears were running down her cheeks as she kissed every in of his face. She was going home. He was going home. _They_ were going home. _Together. _

Gale laughed and quickly rolled her underneath him, showering her with the same affection. Quinn pulled away from Gale's lips to see the hovercraft materializing above them. He looked up at the same time she did and quickly helped her off the ground. A ladder dropped down and Quinn latched herself onto Gale before they placed their feet on the first rung of the ladder. The electric current kept them in place as the ladder rose up into the aircraft.

A few moments later, they landed on the roof of the Training Center. There were Capitol people waiting for them and the second they're in reach, some grabbed Quinn and the others grabbed Gale, pulling them in two different directions. They both started to resist, not wanting to leave the other so soon but the people weren't having any of it and the last thing Quinn felt was someone jabbing her with a needle from behind.

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><p>Quinn woke up to bright lights blaring down at her, nearly blinding her. She looked away and opened her eyes again to see that she was in a room that resembled the one that she had been taken to in the Remake Center. She peered down at herself to see that she was wearing a hospital nightgown of sorts and that her entire body had been scrubbed clean. Her right arm had several tubes attached and she immediately tried to sit up. It was then when she realized that the room had no doors or windows. She was starting to freak out a little. Then suddenly a portion of the wall slid open and in stepped a redheaded Avox girl carrying a tray.<p>

"Is Gale okay?" Quinn couldn't help but ask the girl when she set the tray down in front of her.

The girl curtly nodded and handed her a spoon. She quickly left after that and Quinn hungrily turned to the tray. A bowl of clear broth, a small serving of applesauce, and a glass of water. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Didn't she deserve a little more than this? After all she just won the freakin' Hunger Games. She shook her head and started to dig into what food she had, but a few moments later she found it hard to even finish it. Her stomach felt like it was the size of a grape and she immediately started to wonder exactly how long she had been knocked out for.

There was usually a few days in between the end of the competition and the presentation of the victor so that the Capitol could put the starving, wounded, mess of a person back together again. She shimmied against the constraints keeping her in bed. She wanted to see Gale, Kurt, Sue, Effie, and Mercedes. She didn't want to be stuck in bed for another minute. But just as she was plotting a way to escape, she felt a cold liquid seeping into her vein from one of the tubes and she almost immediately lost consciousness again.

When she regained consciousness, she found that the tubes she had been attached to were gone and that she could get out of bed. She immediately pushed herself upright, stopping for a moment to take in how soft her skin was. No scars, nothing. She looked down at her calf to see that there wasn't a scratch on it, with no trace of a blade ever piercing it. She carefully slipped out of bed, unsure of how her legs would manage under her weight. She was a little wobbly at first but they quickly steadied. She picked up the clothes at the foot of her bed and hastily slipped the on.

Once she figured out how to open the door, she walked down the empty hallway, hoping to run into someone she was familiar with. She had just about given up hope of this when she reached the end of the hallway and someone said her name. She turned her head and walked into a big chamber in front of her to see Effie, Sue, and Kurt waiting for her. She didn't hesitate in running to them. She launched herself in Kurt's arms and couldn't help but laugh as he spun her around. "Didn't I tell you, you would win?"

He put her down and Sue was the next to pull her into a hug. "Good job, Q. Knew you could do it."

Quinn smiled appreciatively at her and was about to say something to her, but then Effie grabbed her and began sobbing on her shoulder while patting her head.

"Where's Mercedes and Gale?" Quinn inquired when Effie had let go of her.

"On the other side of the building, I think," Kurt answered, "They want you two to reunite live during the ceremony."

Quinn frowned at the thought of having to wait that long to see Gale again.

"It won't be that bad," Kurt reassured before linking arms with her, "Now you get to come with me. I've got to get you ready."

They returned to the Training Center and to the twelfth floor and Quinn sighed in relief when Kurt swept her into the dining room where she could have a real meal. After she finished, Kurt led her into her room where he then began working his magic on her. "So have you given up the whole 'girl on fire' thing?" she asked him as he finished her hair.

"Yes and no." he replied with a laugh before putting down his comb and walking over to her closet. Quinn turned around in her seat to see him pull out a soft, subtle green dress. "To match your eyes," Kurt replied, beckoning her to come over and try it on.

He helped her slip into the dress and she was just about to ask about all the padding in it, when Kurt stopped her. "I know, I know. It's a bit much but the Gamemakers wanted to alter you surgically. You should've seen the fight Sue had with them about it. It was both terrifying and amazing at the same time. This was their compromise."

Quinn made a mental note to thank Sue later. "Here, don't forget your shoes." he put down some white shoes with small heels for her to slip in.

Once she got those on, she walked over to the full length mirror. She couldn't help but shake her head in awe of the dress. It stopped at her knees and had very thin straps. It was a soft green. A few shades lighter than her eyes. It reminded her of the woods back home and how the green grass shined directly under the sunlight. The sheer fabric softly glowed and shimmered a little. It was definitely the simplest of Kurt's creations but just as beautiful. "Do you think Gale will like it?" Kurt asked.

Quinn nodded, her gaze still on her reflection, "He'll love it. They all will. You did a fantastic job, Kurt."

Kurt gave a small shrug, "I try."

Just then there was a loud thud outside followed by yelling, startling both Kurt and Quinn. Quinn looked back at him, "Any idea what that was?"

Kurt shook his head and walked over to the door and just as he was about to open it, it opened for him and on the other side stood…Gale.

"Gale!"

Kurt frowned, "Gale, you aren't supposed to be here! How did you-"

Gale paid him no attention and practically threw him out of Quinn's room before shutting the door behind him and locking it. Quinn sucked in a sharp breath as she took in his attire of a grey blazer, black shirt and black pants. He walked up to her and wordlessly scooped her up in his arms, spinning her around once before setting her back down and capturing her lips with his own. She wrapped her arms around him and pushed herself up on her tippy toes, deepening the kiss as much she could. God, she missed him. He backed her up until the back of her knees hit the edge of her bed causing the two of them to come tumbling down.

"Gale," she whispered breathlessly against his lips, "You shouldn't be here!" They were supposed to have their reunion on television after all. That's what the Capitol wanted and the last thing they needed was to break the rules already. She pushed at his chest and he reluctantly pried his lips from hers. "We weren't supposed to see each other until the show!" she scolded him.

He scoffed, "Yeah, well I couldn't wait that long. And I sure as hell wasn't going to give the Capitol the satisfaction of seeing us reunited. No, I was going to do this my way. Besides I wanted one moment alone with you. I've been going crazy. Nobody would tell me any information about you! And when I found out they wouldn't bring us together until the show, I just couldn't wait."

"We could get in a lot of trouble if they find out, Gale." she lightly smacked his chest, "You shouldn't have done it."

He arched his eyebrow, "So you want me to leave, then?" He made a movement to but she quickly pulled him back to her, their lips meeting once again. She sighed against his lips, wanting nothing more than to stay right there with him.

"Okay, that's enough you two!" someone yelled abruptly, causing Quinn and Gale to pull apart. Gale rolled off of her enabling Quinn to see that it was Mercedes. "Mercedes!" she quickly slid off the bed and hugged her.

Mercedes squeezed her tightly before slowly pulling away and looking her up and down, "Damn, baby girl we need to get some meat on your bones stat."

Kurt entered the room and huffed in frustration, "Thanks a lot, Gale, you've ruined all my hard work."

Gale wiped Quinn's lip gloss off his mouth with the back of his hand and pulled Quinn to his body with the other, "She's gorgeous, leave her alone."

"Yeah, let's leave these two so Kurt can finish with Quinn. Come on, lover boy, you shouldn't be here anyways." Mercedes directed Gale, grabbing him by the jacket and forcing him to follow her.

"How did he even escape anyways?" Kurt asked, his hands on his hips.

"Bad security." Gale said with a smirk before leaning down and kissing Quinn on the lips, "Love you."

"Okay, okay," Mercedes quickly yanked him away, "Enough of that. We gotta roll."

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><p>Once Kurt finished fixing her hair and makeup, he led Quinn to the staging area. The rumbling of the crowd was nearly deafening even from backstage. <em>It was like the interviews all over again, Quinn thought to herself.<em> Kurt wished her good luck before leaving her alone since he had to get ready too. She nervously rubbed her hands together, ready for this thing to start already. She was too busy worrying about pulling off an authentic reunion with Gale that she hadn't even noticed Sue until she touched her shoulder. Quinn practically jumped five feet in the air before spinning around in alarm. "Sue."

"Take it easy, it's just me. Let's have a look at you." Sue said. Quinn held out her arms and turned around once. Sue shrugged, "Good enough."

Quinn arched her eyebrow, sensing that there was something Sue wanted to tell her, "Is something wrong."

"Let's hug it out." Sue says, opening up her arms.

Quinn looked at her oddly and reluctantly followed through with her request. "Listen up, Q. You're in trouble." Sue whispered to her. _Oh great, Quinn thought, they found out she had seen Gale. _

"Word is the Capitol's furious about you showing them up in the arena," Sue continued, "The one thing they can't stand is being laughed at and they're the joke of Panem."

Quinn swallowed hard and whispered, "So what do I do?"

"When the topic comes up, your only defense is that you were so in love that you weren't responsible for your actions, which is kind of the truth." Sue answered.

Quinn nodded, "Okay, did you talk to Gale?"

Sue nodded, "Yeah, now come on this way." Sue led her to stairs leading up to the stage and slapped her arm, "Good luck, and don't say anything you shouldn't. See you out there in a few."

Quinn watched Sue disappear to another part of the staging area and turned back to the stage, feeling more nervous than ever. What was going to happen now? How was the Capitol going to punish her and Gale? She didn't mean to show the Gamemakers up, well maybe just a little, but all she really wanted was for her and Gale to be able to go home, like they had promised.

God, the Capitol could hold this over their heads for the rest of their lives. She thought of Sam and what he had told her on the rooftop during training. "_It never ends, even when the Games do. They will always own you. They will always control you. It would've been easier to just die in the arena"._ Who knows what the Capitol had planned for her and for Gale. She was starting to get a sinking feeling that they would've been better off poisoned by the night lock.

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><p>The anthem boomed in her ears, breaking Quinn from her thoughts. She looked up at the television screen above her head in time to see Caesar Flickerman making his entrance and greeting the audience. The crowd erupted into more applause as Effie was introduced and became more fabulous when Mercedes and Kurt came out. Quinn began to wonder if they all knew the trouble she was in. It was then did she realize why Kurt chose such a simple dress for tonight. She needed to look as girlish and innocent as possible.<p>

Quinn could feel her knees knocking together from nerves. Sue made her appearance next and everyone went wild. Apparently she was more popular than Quinn had expected. Maybe because Sue had accomplished a first. She kept not only one but _two_ tributes alive. She took a few more steps up the staircase knowing that Gale and her would be introduced next.

"Alright, Panem! Are you ready to see your victors?" Caesar exclaimed loudly.

The crowd erupted into a deafening roar. "You heard them victors! Come on out and show yourselves!" That was their cue.

Quinn walked onto stage, her stomach full of knots when she caught a glimpse of the crowd. She forced a smile even though she couldn't see much with all the lights and mentally prayed that she didn't fall on her face. She turned her head and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Gale walking towards her, his radiant grey eyes sparkling under all the lights. Now that he was near her again, she didn't have to force her smile anymore. She quickened her pace to meet him and when she was close enough, she practically jumped into his arms. He held her tightly, squeezing her against his firm body. He released his hold on her a little, enough to slip his hand behind her neck and kiss her passionately. The crowd went absolutely insane.

The kiss lasted for a few seconds and by the time the two of them pulled apart, the crowd was in an uproar. Evidently they wanted more, but Quinn knew Gale wasn't about to give into these Capitol snobs. This worried her a little because they were already in enough trouble as it was and right now they really needed to be playing the Capitol's game, whether they liked it or not. So she pushed herself up onto her tippy toes and kissed Gale softly. The crowd began cheering again, the noise level back to deafening. She slowly pulled away from his lips, a small blush forming on her cheeks. Gale took her hand in his and led her over to the love seat which was supposed to be the victor's chair, but since there were two of them it had to be made bigger.

Remembering she had a part to play, Quinn rested her cheek against Gale's shoulder comfortably and slipped her both her hands over Gale's left hand. Gale's body was turned toward her slightly in a protective way and Caesar made a few comments on how cute they were together. The crowd was loving every second of it. Caesar makes a few more jokes, and then it was time for the show.

It was supposed to last three hours and was mandatory viewing for all of Panem. It wasn't until all the lights were dimmed and the seal appeared on the large screen in front of them that Quinn realized she wasn't prepared for this in the least. It just hit her that she was about to watch a recap of the _entire_ Games. She was about to relive every minute of it. Every second of every death. They were going to force her and Gale to watch as their twenty-two fellow tributes were slaughtered. She had saw enough of them die the first time. Her heart started to beat rapidly against her ribcage and she suddenly wanted nothing more in that moment to take Gale and run. She could feel her palms getting sweaty so she took her hands off of Gale's and linked her arm with his. She started to get a sick feeling in her stomach as the film started. Gale probably sensed that she was having a mini freak out because he turned his gaze away from the screen and kissed her hair, his hand squeezing her knee reassuringly.

Right from the beginning Quinn noticed that an unusual amount of the screen time was dedicated to them. The way all the footage was edited and put together, it was then clear to her that the film's focus was going to be on her and Gale's 'love story'. Even though the very idea made her uncomfortable, at least there would be less time focused on the deaths. She could only hope.

The first half hour or so was focused on the pre-arena events: the reaping, the chariot ride through the Capitol, their training scores, and their interviews. There was upbeat music playing along with the footage, which made it twice as awful considering the fact that nearly everyone on-screen was dead.

Her stomach lurched at the detailed coverage of the bloodbath, enabling her to see things, to see deaths that she hadn't focused on in the actual arena. After that was over, they began showing footage that allowed Quinn to see what the audience had seen. She saw the footage of Gale joining up with the Careers, which made Gale's grip on her tighten a little. She kissed his shoulder reassuringly, her eyes still on the screen. It cut to footage of her and how Rue found her and how they teamed up. They showed the fire. Then their little encounter with the Careers and Gale. Quinn felt her heart constrict painfully every Rue's sweet face came up on camera. _Don't start crying, Quinn, she told herself, Whatever you do, don't start crying…_

When she looked back onto the screen, the Tracker jacker incident was playing out. Quinn involuntarily winced, remembering how painful all those stings were. She smiled softly when she saw the footage of Gale coming to her rescue, sweeping her unconscious self off the floor and carrying her out of harm's way. There was footage of the other tributes and what they were doing, but it wasn't long before the focus went back to Quinn and Gale. Quinn watched the footage of Rue coming across Gale intently and then her stomach dropped when her own shrieks echoed from the speakers. The Jabberjay incident. She looked back at Gale who's jaw was tight and his expression hard. She squeezed his hand gently and watched onscreen Gale running to save her.

She shifted uncomfortably when the blowing up of the Career's supplies came next, knowing that Rue's death would be soon after. The music picked up again when Marvel attacked Gale, and the two of them began fighting while Quinn was freeing Rue from his trap. She glanced away from the screen when the footage of Cato and Clove about to kill Rue came on. That was something she could not watch. The only reason she looked back up at the screen was because she heard her own voice singing. She automatically regretted doing so because she could feel her eyes fill with tears. She hastily tried to blink the tears away, not wanting it to be on camera too. She forced herself to keep watching and it wasn't until they cut to the other tributes that she realized that they left out the part where she and Gale had covered Rue in flowers. Her jaw tightened for a moment. Right. Because even that smacks of rebellion.

They cut back to her just as she had received those tissues from Sam. She swallowed hard when they zoomed in one the note. This was the first time Gale was seeing this. She had never told him about Sam's gift. She glanced at Gale out of the corner of her eye and was a little relieved when she saw that his eyes weren't blazing with anger. It wasn't like he had anything to worry about. That moment with Sam helped her to realize that she was in love with Gale. The crowd erupted into cheer suddenly and when Quinn looked back at the screen, her and Gale were sharing their first kiss.

She could feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment when the cameras showed their heated make out session in the cave. Their little quarrel about the hickeys garnered some chuckles and laughter from the crowd. Next came the Feast. Quinn's heart drummed against her chest as she watched herself take on Clove. Her leg involuntarily gave a little jerk when she watched as Clove drove one of her knives down her leg. Gale's grip on her knee tightened as they both watched as Clove nearly choked her to death. Quinn lifted her hand to her forehead, ghosting over where Clove had cut her with her knife. There wasn't even a hint that she had even been injured there. Then came Thresh to the rescue. A few people cheered when Thresh killed Clove. Then Gale came running onto the screen, ready to take on Thresh.

Quinn kind of zoned out after that. It was just as difficult watching Rue on screen as it was watching Thresh. They were both her friends and both died in a brutal way. She fiddled with the hem of her dress, listening to the footage but not bothering to watch it. She just couldn't and she didn't care if she was reprimanded for doing so later. "Hey." someone whispered. Quinn turned her head to see Gale looking at her. He mouthed, "Are you okay?".

She nodded reassuringly and mouthed, "Yeah."

He looked at her disbelievingly and leaned into her a little. She was caught of guard when he kissed her, but nevertheless kissed him back. Her hand went his cheek and she sighed softly at how good it felt. She automatically started to feel a little better and part of her didn't care if the entire crowd was watching or not.

The crowd went eerily silent for some reason and when Gale and Quinn looked up at the screen to see why, they found that the moment with the berries was showing. Quinn could practically hear a pin drop as she and Gale put the berries up to their lips. The film came to an end when Claudius Templesmith declared them the victors, causing them to spit out the berries and jump into each other's arms, kissing each other senseless. The film faded to black and the crowd erupted into cheers again.

The anthem started to play again and everyone rose as President Snow himself took the stage, followed by a little girl carrying two crowns. Gale gripped her hand tightly and almost moved in front of her protectively as Snow neared. Quinn stepped forward, not wanting Snow to sense Gale's hostility. Her breathing quickened once Snow stopped in front of them, his warm breath sending a shudder down her spine. He crowned Gale first and settled a crown on top of Quinn's head. He was smiling at her but his eyes, just inches from hers, were as unforgiving as a snake's. She knew that even though both of them ate the berries, it was her idea. She was the one to be blamed.

Snow stepped away from them both and Quinn finally felt herself able to exhale. She and Gale turned to the crowd and everyone came to their feet, giving them a standing ovation. Much bowing and cheering followed. And just when she felt she couldn't bow anymore, finally Caesar bid the audience goodnight, reminding them to tune in tomorrow for the final interviews. As if they had a choice.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Review, then keep reading!<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Here's part two! Read. enjoy. review!**

* * *

><p>Gale and Quinn were whisked off to the president's mansion for the Victory Banquet almost immediately after the show. They hardly had anytime to eat since Capitol officials and generous sponsors were always clamoring to get their picture with them. Gale never let go of Quinn's hand the entire evening. By the time they returned to the Training Center, it was already sunrise. Much to their dismay, Sue personally escorted Quinn and Gale to their rooms, making it clear that any chance of a sleepover was completely out of the question.<p>

Once Quinn was in her room, she waited for Sue to disappear before she tried to go to Gale. Unfortunately, when she tried to open her door, she found that it had been locked from the outside. For someone who just won the Hunger Games, she was starting to feel like a prisoner more than anything else. She turned around in defeat and was just about to collapse on her bed, when she heard something, or someone outside. She immediately ran back to her door and within seconds it opened to reveal…Kurt.

He wasn't the boy she was hoping for, but he was better than nothing. "Kurt. What are you doing here?"

"I need your shoes." he replied.

She looked at him oddly. He nodded his head, "Yeah, your shoes. They need to be put into storage."

She frowned for a moment before shaking her head and slipping off her shoes. She picked them up and handed them to him, "Here you go."

"Thank you," he said, taking them, "Now I better go and get Gale's shoes."

Quinn watched him walk down the hallway and realized that he had left her door open. Probably purposefully. Then she realized what Kurt was doing. She waited in her doorway and watched as Kurt said goodbye to Gale, leaving with his door open just as he had done with hers. Gale stepped out into the hallway and the moment he saw her in her doorway, he jogged over to her. He quickly slipped into her room and she immediately shut her door after him, knowing it would lock. "Gotta love Kurt," she whispered as Gale pulled her into his arms.

"If it hadn't been for him, I probably would've kicked the door down," he murmured, his forehead resting against hers.

"You think this punishment for the night lock incident?" Quinn asked.

Gale knelt down and scooped her up bridal style, "I don't have any doubt about it. It's clear the Capitol is pissed at us. Especially Snow. Did you see the way he was looking at you when he crowned us?"

She nodded, "I just hope Kurt doesn't get in trouble for helping us."

Gale set her down and frowned, "How would Kurt get in any trouble? No one saw him. We were alone."

She shrugged and walked over to her closet, "I don't know. I just…I have a feeling that we're being monitored or something."

Gale shrugged off his blazer and began unbuttoning his shirt, "At least this time tomorrow we'll be back in Twelve." He turned his back on Quinn so that she could change out of her dress.

"Yeah, I hope so." he heard her whisper. He nearly turned his head again and he swallowed hard when he caught a glimpse of her undressing.

He cleared his throat and stared back at the wall in front of him, "Why do you say that?"

"I just mean that this thing with the night lock has got us in serious hot water and who knows what kind of 'accident' President Snow has planned for us."

Gale spun around, "That's not going to happen."

Quinn, now in her sleepwear, picked up her dress and hung it up in her closet, "You don't know, Gale, it might."

His jaw tightened, "Well then let me rephrase myself, I _won't_ let it happen."

"There's really not much you can do about it, Gale. Snow's got hundreds of people under his control. If he wants us dead, we will be dead." she sighed heavily when she met his gaze, "Look, let's just forget about it. I'm probably just over exaggerating. Let's go to bed. We have our interviews in a few hours."

Gale nodded in agreement and grabbed his pajama bottoms out of her drawer. He slipped them on and proceeded to walk to the bed.

Quinn couldn't help but notice that Gale had decided not to put on a shirt as she pulled back the covers. He slipped into bed and immediately pulled her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her face into his chest. He kissed her cheek and sighed sleepily. She caressed the length of his back and realized something, "No scars," she murmured.

Gale nodded his head, "Yeah, those doctors did a pretty good job sewing me up. Couldn't even tell that I was mauled in the back by those mutts."

"It's scary how good they are," she whispered, thinking back to all the injuries she had sustained during the Games and how she didn't even have so much as a scar on her now.

* * *

><p><em>The next morning….<em>

"Wake up sleepy head! We've got ourselves another big, big, big day!"

Quinn buried her head underneath her pillow at the sound of Effie's voice on the other side of her door. A few seconds later she vaguely heard her door being opened.

"Quinn, dear you really….what on earth?"

Quinn reluctantly looked up from her pillow to see Effie staring at her, looking very displeased. "There was a reason we locked you two inside of your rooms!"

"All we did was sleep, Effie. We didn't do anything more." came Gale's groggy voice from behind Quinn.

"You, young man need to go back to your room immediately!" Effie directed, picking up Gale's clothes from the night before and throwing them at him, "Mercedes and Kurt are on their way to prep you for your interviews."

Quinn slipped out of bed just as Gale did. He slipped on his shirt from last night, but didn't bother to button it. "See you later," he whispered to Quinn before pecking her lips. When he left the room, Effie looked back at her with a very disapproving stare. Quinn just gave her an innocent shrug. "Kurt will be with you shortly, try to eat something before he gets here." Effie instructed before stalking out of the room.

Quinn closed her door behind her and swiftly walked over to her bathroom to take a quick shower. As soon as she finished, she walked back out to her room and gave a slight shriek when she saw Kurt sitting on her bed, waiting patiently for her. "Hey, Quinn." he greeted.

Quinn hugged her towel tighter to her chest even though Kurt's already seen her naked before, "Hey, Kurt. How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long," he assured, standing up and walking over to her nightstand which had a plate of food on it, "Hungry?"

"Yeah," she replied, scurrying over to her dresser to put on some undergarments. "So what's this dress look like?" she inquired, shedding her towel when she had her bra and underwear on and slipping on her robe.

"It's a itty bit above knee length, with thin straps, it's white with a red tie around the waist, and pretty simple. I had designed three or four dresses before it and just couldn't make up my mind which one I liked more, so I got of them and started anew." he explained, handing her a bowl of oatmeal before walking over to her closet.

Quinn sat down on the edge of her bed and crossed her legs Indian style while she scarfed down her oatmeal. "Ta-da!"

Quinn looked up to see Kurt holding up her dress in front of him. "Do you like it?"

She swallowed what she had been chewing and nodded, "Yeah, Kurt. It's gorgeous."

Kurt smiled brightly and laid out the dress next to her on the bed before beckoning her to a chair so that he could start on her hair and makeup. Quinn put her now empty bowl of oatmeal down and sat down on the chair in front of her vanity mirror. Kurt already had all his products and tools laid out so he got to work right away.

"So…thank you for last night." Quinn said to him, after a few minutes of casual silence.

Kurt smiled at her in the mirror, "No problem. I knew as soon as they told me that they were planning on locking you two up for the night, I knew there would be a problem. And by problem, I mean Gale."

Quinn chuckled, "Yeah, he said he was planning on breaking the door down."

Kurt sighed longingly and put his brush down, "That boy is so in love with you it's ridiculous."

She blushed a little and Kurt squeezed her shoulders, "You are one lucky girl."

Her smile faded a little, "In a way."

"Worried about President Snow?" he asked, walking around her and starting on her make up.

She nodded, "I just know he's going to make us pay for what we did. Or at least, he's going to make _me_ pay, since it was my idea."

"As long as you don't fan your own flames, I think you'll be okay." he reassured as applied some lip gloss to her lips.

"The interview's gonna take place in the living room," Kurt informed Quinn as he put his final touches on her.

"Really? So no live audience?" she inquired, smoothing out her dress with her hands.

He nodded, "Yep, no audience whatsoever, just you, Gale, Caesar, and a couple of cameras."

"Can't wait." she said unenthusiastically as Kurt tucked a stray hair out of her face.

Kurt chuckled, "Just think, once this is over, you and Gale will be on a train heading home."

Quinn smiled at the thought, but it faded when she thought of having to say goodbye to Kurt, "I'm definitely going to miss you."

"It won't be the last time we see each other," he reminded, "The tour will be in a few months. We'll see each other then. I've already got dress designs sketched out."

Right. The tour. The tour they had to take where the victors and their team had to go to all the districts for a round of victory ceremonies. It was the Capitol's way of reminding the people that the Hunger Games never really went away.

"C'mon you," Kurt said with a sigh, linking his arm with hers, "We should probably get out there."

She nodded in agreement and the two of them walked out of her bedroom together.

* * *

><p>When Quinn walked into the living room, she noticed that a space had been cleared in the middle of the room for the love seat that had been used for the show. It was surrounded by vases upon vases of red, pink, and white roses. "Quinn!"<p>

She turned her head to see Caesar Flickerman walking over to her, a huge smile plastered across his face. "Congratulations, Quinn." he opened his arms, inviting her in for a hug. She walked over to him and gave him a hug, "Hello, Caesar."

"How are you doing my dear?" he asked when they finally parted.

She gave a small shrug, "I'm a little nervous."

"Don't be. We're going to have a fabulous time," he said, giving her cheek a reassuring pat. "Ah, here comes your leading man."

Quinn turned around to see Gale walking towards her, in his usual head to toe black, with the exception of his red tie that matched the color of the sash around her waist. He looked absolutely gorgeous and for a second Quinn had the notion to pounce on him. She felt her cheeks heat up at the very thought and quickly pushed it out of her mind. "Hey, you," he greeted, leaning down and giving her a soft kiss.

"Hi," she said back, giving him another peck on the lips.

"You ready for this?" he inquired, taking her hand and leading her over to the loveseat.

She nodded and sat down next to him, "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Alright you two, just relax and act comfortable," Caesar said to them, taking the interviewer's chair across from them. Someone started to count backwards and just like that, they were on the air live. Caesar was his usual charming, wonderful self, complimenting the both of them and all that. Gale and Quinn were still a little shy though, well at least Quinn was, Gale just came off as his usual brooding self. Then started the real questioning.

"So Quinn, we all know from Gale that he fell in love with you the moment he laid eyes on you, back when you were children," Caesar started, "so my question is when did _you_ know that you loved him?"

Quinn briefly glanced at Gale before answering Caesar, "Well…I think I always had feelings for Gale, even if I didn't like to admit it, but when I finally knew, when I finally admitted it to myself was when I got a package from a sponsor." She really didn't want to mention Sam in all this and it wasn't until she was halfway into her answer did she realize that she should've changed her story a little just to keep from doing so.

"Ah yes, there had been rumors going around that you had caught the eye of another man while preparing for the Games." Caesar said with a glint in his eye.

"Yes and I care for him just as I do all my friends," she answered, "but his gift made me realize that Gale was the one I truly loved. The one I wanted to be with." _Okay Caesar, next topic please, Quinn thought to herself. _Caesar must've read her mind because he then asked, "Gale, what was going through your mind when Claudius made the announcement that there could be two victors?"

"Well, to be honest, my mind kind of shut down when he made the announcement," Gale said with faint laugh, "You know, Quinn had told me she loved me right at the same time, so my brain kind of blew a fuse at that."

"And you were angry at her for that," Caesar pressed.

Gale nodded, "Yeah, like I said before I didn't really hear the announcement and I got worked up over the fact that she said she loved me because I knew in the end we couldn't be together, so I didn't think there was any point to confessing our love. I knew that we would be setting ourselves up for heartbreak if we did."

Caesar smiled grandly, "And yet, here you two are, alive and in love. Thank goodness for that rule change, huh?"

"Which one?" Gale retorted, "the one saying we could both live or the one saying that we couldn't?"

Quinn squeezed his hand, hoping it would calm him down a bit. The last thing they needed was him getting angry. An angry Gale never did them any good. "It was truly a blessing that the Capitol allowed us both to win." she quickly replied, hoping to take the heat off of Gale.

"It certainly was," Caesar agreed, "Now lets talk about that pivotal moment with the berries. What was going on in your mind, Quinn…hm?"

This was the crucial moment where she either ended up challenging the Capitol or went so crazy at the idea of losing Gale that she couldn't be held responsible for her actions. It seemed to call for a big, dramatic speech, but all she could get out was, "Well, it's hard to say. I just, all I knew was that I couldn't bear the idea of having to be without him. I mean, we had just found each other, I _couldn't_ lose him."

Caesar nodded understandingly before looking to Gale, "Anything to add, Gale?"

Gale shook his head, "No. I think that goes for both of us."

"Alright then, that's a wrap!" Caesar signed off and Quinn sighed in relief. It was over.

The two of them stood up and embraced each other. "Time to go home" Gale whispered.

She buried her face against his chest and sighed, "Yeah, time to go home."

* * *

><p>Quinn and Gale barely had time to say goodbye to Mercedes and Kurt after the interview finished, but it didn't faze Quinn that much since she knew they would be seeing each other soon enough. Effie was accompanying them back to Twelve and surprisingly even Sue was too. As they exited the elevator of the Training Center, Effie and Sue led them to the car that would take them to the train. "Quinn!"<p>

Quinn stopped at the sound of her name being called and turned around to see Sam jogging towards her.

She swallowed hard, "Sam."

"Quinn dear, we don't want to be late," Effie reminded her.

Quinn nodded her head, looking back at Sam, "Yeah, it'll just be a second."

Effie and Sue both kept walking while Gale stayed by her side, his hand still firmly holding hers.

Quinn looked up at him and suggested he wait in the car. His jaw tightened at her request, his grey eyes on Sam. She touched the side of his cheek, forcing him to look down at her, "You have nothing to worry about." she reassured before giving him a soft kiss, "I'll only be a minute. Promise."

Gale sighed heavily and reluctantly let go of her hand before walking away.

Quinn looked back at Sam, who was right in front of her now, "Hey."

"Hey," he said back, "I just…I wanted to talk to you before you left."

"So talk," she said softly.

He opened his mouth to say something but he fell quiet.

"Well, thank you for your gifts. I really appreciated them." she said with a soft smile.

Sam grinned, "You're welcome."

Not liking how much of a smile that gave him, she added, "But as a friend. You know I'm with Gale, Sam."

He shut his eyes and sighed, "I know, Quinn, I just," he opened his eyes again and stared down at her deeply, "I _really_ care about you. I've never felt like this about anyone before."

She looked at him sympathetically, "And I'm flattered, Sam, I really am. You're a great person, you really are. And I hope to see you again soon, but I don't have feelings like _that_ towards you."

He shook his head, "If you just got to know me better, if we spent more time together, you would-"

"I love Gale," she interjected, "He's the one I want to be with."

"You say that now but things may change. I mean, do you really see yourself having a future with him?"

She nodded, "Yes. I have no doubts about it. I love him now and I'm going to love him just as much when I'm eighty."

"I'll fight for you if I have to, Quinn," he said seriously, "You're worth it."

She shook her head, "I don't want you to fight for me, Sam. Just, please don't. You'll only be setting yourself up for heartbreak."

"You mean even more than I already am." he muttered bitterly.

She frowned, "Don't act like this is my fault, Sam. You watched the Games, you know I am in love with Gale. It wasn't an act. So don't say that it's my fault when you came up to me, ready to tell me your feelings and got rejected because you already knew my feeling for Gale."

He sighed heavily, "You're right, I did. I just thought that maybe you'd want more."

She stared at him incredulously. "What more could I want, Sam? You two are both victors. You're no better than Gale and he's no better than you. You two are equals. Now I am sorry if I'm hurting you but I am just being honest with you, Sam. I care about you just as a friend."

"Quinn!"

Quinn turned around to see Effie beckoning her. "C'mon dearie, we need to leave. Now."

She turned back around and looked up at Sam, "I've got to go." She pushed herself up onto her tippy toes and gave him a hug. "Goodbye, Sam."

Sam rested his chin against her shoulder and squeezed her tightly, "Goodbye, Quinn."

She pulled away and smiled at him, "Maybe one day you'll be able to teach me how to throw a trident."

Sam smiled a little, "Maybe."

She gave him another hug, "Bye, Sam." She quickly pulled away from him and ran off in Effie's direction.

* * *

><p>The car ride to the train station wasn't that long and before Quinn knew it, they were back on the train, speeding away from the Capitol and getting closer to home with every second. They all had an enormous dinner together and after it was over, instead of opting to watch their final interview, Gale and Quinn headed back to their compartments to be alone. Quinn was starting to wonder when Gale was going to bring up what Sam wanted. He had yet to ask her about it. But then again, maybe he didn't want to know. Maybe he didn't care. <em>Very unlikely, she thought to herself. <em>

They both walked into her compartment and Gale sat down on the edge of the bed, removing his jacket and tie. "So…don't you want to know what Sam wanted?" she asked him curiously as she walked over to him.

Gale continued with his shoes, "I know what he wanted, Quinn. He wanted to tell you that he's in love with you and that he wanted you to dump me so that you could be with him." he looked back at her, "Am I right?"

She nodded and sat down next to him, "Unfortunately."

"So what did you tell him?" Gale inquired.

"That I love you," she said, smiling softly at him, "And it's always going to be you."

He raised his eyebrows, "Really?"

She nodded and slightly chuckled, "What? Did you think I was going to tell him that I loved him and that I wanted to be with him too?"

Gale shrugged, "I don't know. It was a possibility."

She scoffed, "What? How could you say that? Don't you know how much I love you?"

He nodded, "I do. I just…I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know? I mean, you're everything a guy could ever want in a girl. And you could get any guy you wanted. Sometimes I just find it hard to believe that you want to be with a boy from the Seam."

She frowned, "You make it sound like being from the Seam is a bad thing. I'm from the Seam too, remember?"

He shook his head and sighed, "Just come here," he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into him, "Forget I said anything."

She playfully rolled her eyes, "Okay, Gale."

He stood up and looked down at her seriously, "I truly do love you, Quinn. You make me the happiest I've ever been and I plan on cherishing you every single day for the rest of my life."

Quinn could feel her cheeks warm up at his words before she whispered, "I love you too, Gale. And don't ever let anyone tell you or make you think otherwise, because you and I…well we're forever."

Gale leaned his head down, kissed her, and let his linger on hers, "You bet we are."

* * *

><p>A few weeks later…<p>

"Gale, I swear to God if you do that one more time, I'm going to shoot you and this time I'm serious!"

Gale just laughed her off and jogged over to the tree where her arrow had lodged itself in. The two of them were in the woods back home, with Quinn trying to hunt down some game, but that wasn't going so well since Gale kept on scaring her or making her laugh whenever she aimed at a target just so she would miss. Neither one of them needed the Game since they both had enough money to buy their own meat, but a lot people hadn't won the Hunger Games like they did so they couldn't afford it. And since they both liked hunting so much, Gale and Quinn figured they would continue doing it, only this time giving it to family's who needed it. Occasionally they would keep some game for themselves because they preferred the fresh game over the butcher meat in town.

Gale handed her back her arrow, which she gladly took back. "You know something, I- oomph!"

Gale abruptly threw her over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing but a feather. "Gale put me down!" Quinn demanded.

"Not happening. See what happens when you threaten to shoot your boyfriend? Bad things happen." he said before lightly smacking her butt.

She scoffed and looked back at him, "You did not just do that! Where are you taking me anyways?"

"Somewhere," he replied mischievously as he trekked through the woods.

"Gale Hawthorne, put me down!" she then smacked his ass, genuinely surprising him. Gale quickly put her down and stared at her in disbelief. She burst out laughing hysterically at his expression. "I'm pretty sure you could bounce a quarter off that thing." Quinn said with a smirk.

Gale's face reddened a little and his expression turned dead serious. "You are so going to get it."

Quinn bit her lip to contain her laughter before bolting off in the opposite direction.

Even though she was fast, Gale was evidently faster and quickly caught up to her. He grabbed her around the waist and scooped her up bridal style in one swift movement. She squirmed in his arms as he tickled her sides. Gale then set her down after she begged him to stop and when she looked around, she realized they were at the lake. Gale sat down behind her and pulled her close so that her back was against his chest. She immediately relaxed against him and stared out at the water before them. When Quinn was younger, her and her father spent most of their time here. The lake was where he taught her how to swim. It was where she spent some of her happiest moments and as soon as she and Gale came home, she wanted to share this special place with him.

"Quinn." Gale's voice came, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She looked back at him, "Hmm?"

He looked down at her curiously, "What do you think about marriage?"

She turned her body around and arched her eyebrow, "Uh, why do you ask?"

Gale shrugged, "Just wondering."

"Well I have nothing against marriage," she answered, "I think if you're doing it for the right reasons that it's great."

He pursed his lips together, "So if I asked you to marry me right now, you would say…"

"I would say that I'm sixteen years old and my mother would probably kill you." she replied with a short laugh.

"But you would want to get married some day?" he clarified.

She nodded, "Of course. I'd just want it to be sometime in the future, preferably when I'm legal."

He nodded, "Good to know. So what about babies?"

"Babies?" she repeated, her voice a little high, "What about them?"

He laughed at the expression on her face, "Just another question. Do you want children?"

"Well, I…uh…"

That one was a tough question to answer. Sure she loved kids, she adored them and yeah when she was younger she thought about having her own kids, but that was when she thought things would get better, when she thought that the Hunger Games would one day come to a stop. "I want kids, Gale, but I _don't_ want kids."

"You mean because of the Games." he murmured.

She nodded, "Just because we're victors doesn't mean that our kids would be exempt from the reapings. I wouldn't ever want them to be put in the position that we were put in. I don't think I could ever handle if our child was reaped into the Games."

"Well, maybe things will change. I've been hearing a lot of word about rebellion down at the Hob."

"Really?"

Gale nodded, "Now granted no one's ready to wage an all scale war against the Capitol but people are talking. You never know what could happen."

"Well that's good," she whispered, turning back around and curling up against his chest, "We need change. Now more than ever."

He nodded his head in agreement, "But for now, let's just enjoy these next few months of freedom," he kissed her hair and sighed, "Soon we'll be doing that stupid victory tour and who knows what'll happen when we're back under the surveillance of the Capitol."

"Yeah, who knows what they'll make us do." she said worriedly, staring out at the lake in front of them.

His gently nuzzled the crook of her neck, "Whatever comes our way, just know that I'll always be there to protect you."

She looked up at him and smiled, "Always?"

He nodded and kissed the tip of her nose, "Always."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So there you have it, the end! hope it was good enough. I'm always bad at writing endings. I might make a sequel with the Quarter Quell, but i'm not sure about that yet. Kind of want to focus on my other story then take a break because I've pretty much been doing story after story after story. But thanks to all of you who read this little ditty of mine and reviewed! It means so much and it's awesome to write something that people seem to enjoy. Check out my other stories if you want, gotta JacobQuinn fic I'm working on right now, so if you're interested check it out. **

**Again big thanks to you all and please review!**


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